ATTORNEY-GENERAL Tan Sri Idrus Harun has been urged to state whether it is proper for the Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) to be probing allegations linking the police to a pro-Government troll farm.
The claim was made by Facebook’s parent company and tech giant Meta Platforms Inc on Aug 5 in its Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report.
Although PDRM initially denied Meta’s claim that such social media accounts were linked to the police force, the police still investigated the matter, with Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani reiterating this on Tuesday (Sept 13).
While welcoming PDRM’s probe into the matter, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo questioned whether it was right for the police to probe matters in which they themselves are said to be involved.
“It is also perhaps important to ask if there is a delay in the investigation and, if so, whether it has to do with an internal probe which may be contaminated with conflict,” the DAP national deputy chairman said in a statement today.
It is also important to note that PDRM has already denied the allegation even before the probe was completed, he added.
“Would there not, in these circumstances, be a conflict on part of PDRM to probe the matter?” he asked.
Gobind said Idrus must set matters right and direct that an independent probe be launched into the allegations.
It would be best if persons not directly connected to PDRM and the allegations decide if there is a basis to it, he noted.
“As the matter is one of public interest involving the integrity of the police force, it would be best if any such probe also be made public so as to enhance its transparency and credibility,” he added.
In its report, Meta said 596 Facebook accounts, 180 pages, 11 groups and 72 Instagram accounts were removed for violating the platforms’ policy against “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” (CIB) – aimed at corrupting or manipulating public discourse through misleading posts.
It said this network was active on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, posting memes in Malay that were in support of the current Government coalition and the police, while alleging corruption among its critics, including the opposition.
“Although the people behind it attempted to conceal their identity and coordination, our investigation found links to the Royal Malaysia Police,” Meta said.
PDRM secretary DCP Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin initially denied Meta’s claim that the social media accounts were linked to the police force, but said the police view the allegation seriously and would get more information about the matter.
In a press conference last week, Acryl Sani reiterated the PDRM’s denial of the allegations but said Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) was instructed to review the claims all the same. – Sept 18, 2022
Main photo credit: TIME
