KUALA LUMPUR – Yet another police report has been lodged against controversial graphic designer and artist Mohd Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin, this time over a satirical illustration of the Pahang regent.
In an apparently blasé tweet today, Fahmi shared screenshots of the police report that had been made against him by an Instagram user named @hassalshah.7royalist, labelling the individual as being a “brown-noser”.
Pengampu istana dah buat police report! ?
— Fahmi Reza (@kuasasiswa) July 26, 2022
Kepada pegawai polis yang bakal buka kertas siasatan, kita jumpa di Dang Wangi. You have my number, apa-apa roger. pic.twitter.com/tbw30sTHO6
“The palace’s brown-noser has made a police report! To the police officers who will be opening investigation papers, we will meet at Dang Wangi. You have my number, apa-apa roger (just inform me),” he said.
The police report was filed at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters earlier this morning.
In their Instagram Stories, user @hassalshah.7royalist had lambasted Fahmi for his art which depicts Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah doing a push-up with the caption “Push-up 4 Tasik Chini”.
Ironically, Tengku Hassanal had seemingly given his thumbs up to the artwork as he had shared the graphic on his Instagram Stories, thanking Fahmi for the piece while saying that there is no need for police reports to be made as he “actually likes the graphics”.
#SatireIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/YtYerrIFbJ
— Fahmi Reza (@kuasasiswa) July 26, 2022
Fahmi had posted the illustration last night, allegedly as a reference to recent reports of how Tasik Chini’s biosphere reserve status from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation is currently being scrutinised.
Last month, Tengku Hassanal had urged all public and private agencies in Malaysia to become active participants in climate and biodiversity talks, saying that Tasik Chini, as the “nature’s jewel” in Pahang, must be preserved and conserved.
In June last year, the royal had issued a Push-up For Environment Challenge through a now-deleted Instagram post, garnering backlash from members of the public who questioned the campaign.
Meanwhile, the Pahang regent had earlier today apologised to Noor Jehan Abu Bakar, the head of the Pahang Malaysian Nature Society, who was called in by police yesterday for allegedly defamatory statements against the royal.
Noor Jehan had claimed that Tengku Hassanal and other high-ranking officers were two hours late for the Buffer Zone Ecosystem Restoration Programme – a tree-planting event in Pantai Chenor, Kemaman, Terengganu on July 18.
Tengku Hassanal said he was under the weather after recovering from a high fever prior to the event and revealed that he “(has) asked police to leave her alone”.
Kuantan district police chief Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu told The Vibes yesterday that the case is being investigated under Section 500 and 500(b) of the Penal Code for defamatory statements as well as Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998.
However, he confirmed with The Vibes today that police will be handing over the case to the deputy public prosecutor for further action, noting that Tengku Hassanal “appears to not want to prolong the matter”. – The Vibes, July 26, 2022
