KUALA LUMPUR – Artist-activist Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin is the subject of another two investigation papers, this time over his works satirising Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the health minister last month.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Fahmi Reza said he received two calls from police – one from Kajang district police and the other from Sepang – and will be question next Thursday.
“I’m being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 over two graphics I posted. One was on Facebook, and the other on Twitter.
I am prepared to face any new investigation or allegation. I am prepared to defend all my works. As usual, I will not delete those posts. The people should not be afraid of the government, a government that should be afraid of the people.
“No matter the obstacles, I will continue to fight.”
He shared the two artworks concerned. “Universiti Katak Kebangsaan”, posted on April 5, is loosely based on the UKM emblem. The other, posted five days later, is a vampire caricature resembling Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
UKM on April 7 demanded that Fahmi Reza take down his post, saying it is an insult to the institution, and gave him seven days to do so, failing which, the varsity will initiate legal action.
Meanwhile, the caricature based on Dr Adham was a response to an announcement that people who have donated blood more than 50 times stand to get the Covid-19 vaccine ahead of others.
Just a week ago, Fahmi Reza was arrested two hours after publishing a second “This Is Dengki Ke” playlist.
He was brought to the Dang Wangi police station under the Communications and Multimedia Act and Sedition Act 1948.
He was freed a day later, after the authorities’ application for a four-day remand was rejected, and amid calls by various quarters for his release.
Choosing to name the playlist “This Is Dengki Ke” is understood to be a satirical take on an Instagram comment by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
The queen made the comment “Dengki ke? (Are you jealous?)” on April 19 after a netizen asked whether chefs at Istana Negara have been vaccinated against Covid-19, after Tunku Azizah posted photos of dishes prepared by her and the palace’s kitchen crew.
This came about after an Asia Sentinel report accused the royal family of hoarding 2,000 doses of the Sinovac jab, which has yet to be approved for use. – The Vibes, May 1, 2021
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