KUALA LUMPUR – Artist-activist Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin’s popular Twitter profile is expected to be seized by authorities, following investigations into one of his satirical works.
In a midnight tweet today, Fahmi – with the handle @kuasasiswa – said the account will be “seized” by police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“This @kuasasiswa Twitter account will be seized by police & SKMM (MCMC) under Section 233 of the AKMM (Communications and Multimedia Act) to investigate & collect evidence,” he said in the posting.
Fahmi Reza also asked his followers, numbering more than 94,700, to follow his “backup” account @fahmirezaKL.
The controversial artist urged his followers to pressure Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and his deputy Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin to expedite the investigation and restore Fahmi Reza’s Twitter account.
Fahmi Reza was arrested on April 23, just two hours after publishing a second “This Is Dengki Ke” playlist on streaming platform Apple Music.
He was brought to the Dang Wangi police station over two such playlists, and investigated under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and Sedition Act 1948.
Choosing to name the playlists “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 in reply to a netizen who asked whether chefs at the palace have been vaccinated against Covid-19, after she posted photos of dishes prepared by her and the palace’s kitchen crew.
This came about after an Asia Sentinel recent report accused the royal family of hoarding 2,000 doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, which has yet to be approved for use. – The Vibes, May 5, 2021
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