All Malaysians must uphold the Constitution to respect all religions in Malaysia but there should be no excessive punishments like the 10-year jail sentence for a social media holder for insulting Islam and Prophet Mohamad


Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada Ahad, 10 Mac 2019:

Semua rakyat Malaysia harus mendukung Perlembagaan dan menghormati semua agama di Malaysia, namun tidak perlu ada hukuman yang berlebihan seperti hukuman 10 tahun penjara terhadap seorang pengguna sosial media selepas didapati menghina Islam dan Nabi Muhammad

Semua rakyat Malaysia harus mendukung Perlembagaan dan menghormati semua agama di Malaysia, namun tidak perlu ada hukuman yang terlalu berat seperti hukuman 10 tahun penjara yang dijatuhkan oleh Mahkamah Sesyen Kuching terhadap seorang pengguna media sosial kerana menghina Islam dan Nabi Muhammad.

Seperti yang dinasihati Menteri Hal Ehwal Undang-Undang, Hanipa Maidin, pengguna media sosial berkenaan harus merayu keputusan yang dibuat Mahkamah Sesyen Kuching tersebut.

Kemunculan media sosial telah membawa rakyat Malaysia ke sebuah zaman baru, di mana apa sahaja yang diperkatakan mereka di media sosial tidak lagi menjadi satu hal yang peribadi, tetapi sebaliknya boleh dihebahkan secara pantas kepada masyarakat umum.

Rakyat Malaysia harus senantiasa sedar akan penggunaan dan penyalahgunaan media sosial, yang mana boleh membawa impak yang begitu besar.

Rakyat Malaysia, tidak kira orang Melayu, Cina, India, Kadazan, Iban atau Orang Asli harus membentuk sikap skeptikal dan sinis terhadap sebarang mesej yang diterima mereka di media sosial, tidak kira di Facebook, Twitter, Instagram atau Whatsapp, dan mempersoalkan setiap mesej tersebut: “adakah ini benar”, dan menyemak kesahihan mesej berkenaan sebelum berkongsi maklumat itu dengan orang lain.

Jika rakyat Malaysia, tidak kira orang Melayu, Cina, India, Kadazan, Iban atau Orang Asli mampu membentuk sikap skeptikal dan sinis yang sedemikian dengan menyemak kesahihan setiap mesej, maka mereka tidak akan mudah menjadi mangsa politik toksik dan jahat berbaur pembohongan, kebencian, ketakutan, keagamaan dan keagamaan yang kini semakin menjadi-jadi di negara ini.

Saya bercakap berdasarkan pengalaman sebagai seorang mangsa media sosial. Baru-baru ini, pembohongan lapuk di media sosial dihidupkan kembali bagi memomokkan saya sebagai seorang yang kononnya anti-Melayu, anti-Islam, komunis, malah, dituduh mempunyai pertalian darah dengan Chin Peng; dituduh mendalangi rusuhan 13 Mei 1969, malah difitnah memimpin demonstrasi di Kuala Lumpur sambil melaungkan slogan anti-Melayu dan anti-Islam sedangkan saya sebenarnya tidak berada di Kuala Lumpur selepas Pilihan Raya Umum 10 Mei 1969.

Sebelum Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14, dakwaan politik toksik sedemikian didendangkan menerusi suara-suara songsang yang menuduh bahawa kononnya jika Pakatan Harapan menang pilihan raya tersebut, saya akan dilantik menjadi Perdana Menteri. Apabila fitnah dan pembohongan sedemikian dibuktikan tidak benar selepas 9 Mei 2018, pembohongan dan fitnah baharu pula direka untuk menuduh saya kononnya mempunyai kuasa yang besar dalam kerajaan Pakatan Harapan di Putrajaya, malah dituduh menjadikan Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail dan Mohamad Sabu sebagai boneka.

Jika rakyat Malaysia boleh membentuk sikap skeptikal terhadap apa jua mesej yang diterima mereka di media sosial dan menyemak kesahihannya sebelum berkongsi maklumat tersebut dengan orang lain, ia akan menjadi langkah terpenting dalam menangani masalah penyalahgunaan media sosial di Malaysia.

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All Malaysians must uphold the Constitution and respect all religions in Malaysia but there must be no excessive punishments like the 10-year jail sentence by the Kuching Sessions Court for a social media holder for insulting Islam and Prophet Mohamad.

As advised by the de facto deputy law minister, Hanipa Maidin, the social media holder should appeal against the decision of the Kuching Sessions Court.

The advent of social media has brought Malaysians to a new age, where what they say on the social media is no more private but can be immediately broadcast in an explosive rate to the public.

Malaysians must be conscious of the uses and abuses of social media, where its effects are magnified in an explosive manner.

Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang
Asli must develop a sceptical and cynical attitude to the messages they receive on social media, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Whatsapp, to ask the important question with regard to every message, “Is this true”, and to check on the veracity of the message before sharing it with the others.

If Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli develop such a healthy attitude of scepticism and cynicism to check on the veracity of each and every message, they will not fall victim to the vicious and toxic politics of lies, hate, fear, race and religion currently prevailing in the country.

I am talking from experience as a victim of social media. Recently, old social media lies have been resurrected to demonise me as anti-Malay, anti-Islam, a communist, in fact, a relative of Chin Peng; responsible for the May 13, 1969 riots, leading the street demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur shouting anti-Malay and anti-Islam slogans although I was never in Kuala Lumpur after the May 10, 1969 General Election.

Before the 14th General Election, such toxic politics alleged that I will be the Prime Minister of Malaysia if Pakatan Harapan wins the polls. When such lies and falsehoods were proved wrong after May 9, 2018 new lies and falsehoods were manufactured to allege that I am the real power in the Pakatan Harapan government in Putrajaya and that Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Mohamad Sabu were merely my stooges and puppets.

If Malaysians can develop a healthy scepticism of what they receive on the social media and check their veracity before they share it with others, it will be a big step to check the abuses of social media in Malaysia.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 10th March 2019)

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 10 March 2019 - 11:45 am

    The issue is not one or two incident of idiocy of social media, the issue is what about fake news. Like it or not, UMNO-PAS is going to generate a huge amount of fake news online to exaggerate these odd incidents to be scare Malay voters..

    What is PH going to do about that? Fear and hate are too powerful, even if social media are obviously fake, volume still works to a certain degree.

  2. #2 by Saint on Sunday, 10 March 2019 - 12:10 pm

    NEWS in what ever form can only be subjected to “Malaysia Law” if written by a local individual, in local media outlets; but the same and worse can be seen by oversea NEWS; both by Malaysians and others and we have no control over them.

    The issue now is, how is PH going to handle such matters? Is it based on the local “individual” or NEWS as such from overseas? Sad to say Uncle Lim; I am very disappointed by the way you look at these issues.

  3. #3 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 10 March 2019 - 2:51 pm

    Lets put it as clear as we can. The next GE and every GE after that given UMNO-PAS alliance is about Promise of Islamic State(and Hudud) Vs Performance from Secular Govt of PH. Its as simple as that. Its NOT even about Malay Agenda because no one govt, no matter what the lies are is not going to help the Malays. It is about UMNO-PAS version of Ketuanan but it eventually leads unstoppably to Islamic Statism. PH offers a Malay Agenda that is less euphoric but as real as they can but no theocracy – does not mean no religion or Islam in govt BUT no the human minds decides the state of govt not blind faith.

    IT IS GOING TO GET HAIRY. There is no way around it. So everyone need to discuss it calmly and rationally but without fear.

    Lets not kid ourselves, they will sell fear and hate and PH has to beat it. It is just going to have to be until results beat blind faith.

  4. #4 by good coolie on Sunday, 10 March 2019 - 6:34 pm

    Of course, one should not be insulting the founders of any religion, and the tenets of any religion, as this causes great anguish to the followers of the religion concerned. My stand is that one should discover one’s religion and become a good person by practising the virtues taught by that religion.

    I agree that the punishment for the case at hand is too harsh. The remedy is, indeed, to appeal the sentence.

    “With mogwai [gremlin] comes much responsibility!” I am talking of our smart phones.

  5. #5 by SuperStringhg on Monday, 11 March 2019 - 11:21 am

    Uncle Lim, please be very careful whenever you mentioned about Islam because UMNO/PAS is just waiting for you to open your mouth on this matter. Your suggestion that 10 years punishment is to harsh will give UMNO/PAS a good opportunity to say, “see, he is anti-Islam by saying punishment is too light”. However, if Uncle Lim says punishment is too light, should give 20 years, then UMNO/PAS will say “see, he is anti-Islam by depicting Islam as a heartless religion”.

  6. #6 by tmc on Tuesday, 12 March 2019 - 5:48 pm

    Haha, told you so.
    Keep on talking and UMNO/PAS just waiting to pounce on you at the slightest of excuse.
    Now IGP says police have opened investigation papers on LGE over his alleged remarks that the recent official alliance between Umno and PAS was a “war” on non-Malays.
    How many times must tell you all zip up?

  7. #7 by good coolie on Monday, 25 March 2019 - 8:39 pm

    I know we have forgiven the Japanese for the cruelty they inflicted on Malaysians during the last world war, but Pakatan fellows celebrating Japanese heroes by erecting monuments in their honour is too much for many a Malaysian. Malaysians are not so ethically sophisticated. I agree, Pakatan must not make too many political mistakes. Our cousins in MCA and UMNO will pounce on every mistake we make. The real Japanese heroes are the heroes of reconstruction whom we love so much: Toyota, Honda, Datsun, Yamaha, Bridgestone, …

  8. #8 by good coolie on Sunday, 7 April 2019 - 11:21 am

    Respect the Constitution. PAS and UMNO must respect the Constitution.

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