Fahmi Reza, a well-known political cartoonist, pleaded not guilty in Sessions Court on Wednesday to allegations of beginning the transmission of inappropriate comments against quarantine rules against the minister on his Twitter account last year.
The graphic, which was posted on Fahmi’s social media accounts on 10 February 2021, highlights the Minister’s decision to reduce the COVID-19 quarantine period for Cabinet ministers returning from official visits abroad; the graphic reads: ‘Get a 70% discount on your quarantine duration if you travel overseas.’
Fahmi, true name Mohd Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin, testified in front of Judge Datin Sabariah Othman after the accusation was read out by the court translator.
“I will fight in court. Satire is not a crime, ”he said.
Fahmi was charged with knowingly creating offensive material with the aim to insult others.
Adham was the Minister of Health from March 2020 to August 2021. He is currently the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Prosecuted under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) and punishable under Section 233 (3) of the same act, those convicted face a maximum fine of RM50,000.00 or one year in prison, or both, and can be fined an additional RM1,000 per day if the offence is continued after conviction.
Dr Adham Baba was the Minister of Health from March 2020 to August 2021. He is currently the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The court granted Fahmi bail in the amount of RM5,000 with one surety and ordered the case for re-mention on March 30. Fahmi was represented by lawyer Rajsurian Pillai while Deputy Public Prosecutor Najihah Farhana Che Awang handled the prosecution.
Permohonan maaf pic.twitter.com/yTFLNg2kY4
— Fahmi Reza (@kuasasiswa) February 10, 2022
Fahmi tweeted what appears to be a formal apology to those affected by his satirical comics last night at 8:44 PM, but with a twist. He expressed sorrow in the Twitter tweet with the apology image attached for plainly offending the individual referred to in the post for which he was charged.
And as a result, he has chosen to issue an official apologetic statement in the hope that the parties affected would forgive him for using reckless parallels and parables.
He then goes on to conclude his apology with the following quote:
So, I, Fahmi Reza, as the individual responsible for producing this post and graphic work, humbly apologize to all the pigs in Malaysia and abroad for equating and associating you all with the useless ministers who still hold power in our country.
Pictures by Majoriti, Fahmi Reza & Malay Mail