Political prosecution? Saifuddin says probe into Sanusi only on slander

GEORGE TOWN – There is no political prosecution of caretaker Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

What is being investigated is strictly on the former’s alleged criminal defamation and slander, and is unrelated to politics, the PKR secretary-general said.

He said that police have no choice but to investigate Sanusi for his constant undermining of the law through open-ended slander.

Police had earlier warned all quarters not to exploit the sensitives of race, religion and royalty.

Saifuddin hinted that action may be taken against Sanusi, adding that if anyone else emulates such irresponsible actions, the authorities also need to act accordingly.

“The law is the law. We are a nation who respects the rule of law. 

“We need to be fair to all sides here,” Saifuddin said when speaking at the Penang DAP fund raising dinner in SRJK(C) Shang Wu here.

He said that Sanusi, despite his stature as Kedah’s top executive leader, must respect the law and try not to undermine it.

In dismissing Sanusi’s allegation that the government had banned access to or deleted the content of his TikTok account, Saifuddin had earlier said the government has many other things to do.

He said the app belonging to Bytedance Ltd, a technology company from China, is the same as other social media applications where users have to adhere to the guidelines.

“Does the Malaysian government have the authority to ban the TikTok account? The answer is no.

“If TikTok receives a lot of reports and complaints from the public, then TikTok will ban the account.

“It was the public who initiated the ban, not the government. The public filed complaints and TikTok imposed the ban.

“Today, the Kedah MB said his TikTok content was erased. He said Malaysia has become like North Korea!

“I certainly do not agree because it wasn’t the government that did it, we have a lot of other things to do,” he said in a Facebook post today.

On another matter, Saifuddin also said he is not defending his Pantai Jerejak state seat.

He is focusing on Kedah after he was appointed as the state Pakatan Harapan (PH) campaign director.

Saifuddin also urged voters to welcome Barisan Nasional, which is now a strategic ally of the national unity government, of which PH leads. – The Vibes, July 16, 2023