FORMER premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has pled not guilty to a sedition charge in a Sessions Court in Gua Musang over his seditious remarks in a ceramah in the Nenggiri by-election campaigning.
The Bersatu president claimed trial after the charges were read out to him before Judge Nik Mohd Tarmizie Nik Mohd Shukri.
The charge was framed under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment for up to three years, or both, upon conviction, reported Free Malaysia Today.
The charge is in respect of a speech the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman made during a campaign event at Felda Perasu in Gua Musang, Kelantan, on Aug 14 where he was accused of touching on 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues.
Recall that the Bersatu president was investigated by the police after reports were lodged against him over a viral video taken during the Nenggiri by-election campaign period.
In the video, Muhyiddin had seemingly questioned the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the prime minister after the 15th General Election (GE15).
The video has since drawn severe condemnation from various parties and at least 29 police reports were lodged against Muhyiddin.
He also received a rebuke from the Pahang palace.
His allegedly seditious statements were also detailed in the appendix of the charge sheet.
According to the transcript, Muhyiddin had questioned why he was not invited by the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who was Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to be sworn in as prime minister after GE15 despite having the backing of 115 MPs.
“Who was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong back then? You understand, right? (Siapa Yang di-Pertuan Agong dulu? Faham dah la eh.),” read the transcript.
Muhyiddin has since defended his remarks, saying it was just a statement of fact and he had no intention of insulting the royal institution of Malay Rulers.
He stated that his campaign speech was focused on factual events related to the formation of the government after GE15 and the subsequent challenges faced by the public due to government policies.
The court set bail at RM5,000 and scheduled the next case mention for Nov 4. – Aug 27, 2024
