©The Malaysian Insider (Used by permission)
by ANISAH SHUKRY
Police will question law professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari tomorrow in Putrajaya's ongoing sedition sweep which has seen many opposition lawmakers and activists investigated or charged under the colonial–era law.
The police told The Malaysian Insider that almost 100 reports were lodged against the constitutional law expert nationwide for allegedly insulting the Sultan of Selangor.
A police spokesman said Aziz will be interviewed at the Sabak Bernam district police headquarters in Selangor under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948.
Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948 relates to any person who "does or attempts to do, or make any preparation to do, or conspires with any person to do, any act which has or which would, if done, have a seditious tendency".
"He has not been arrested, but will just come in for questioning tomorrow (Wednesday)," the officer said.
He said police reports had been lodged across the country against the academic for the statements he made in two news articles published in The Malaysian Insider.
The articles are "Sultan Selangor terikat Deklarasi 1992, perlu lantik Wan Azizah, kata Aziz Bari", published on September 1, and "Only God, not Sultan, has absolute powers, says legal expert" published on September 9.
Two reporters from The Malaysian Insider gave their statements to the police over the articles at the news portal's office in Bangsar yesterday.
In the report "Sultan Selangor terikat Deklarasi 1992, perlu lantik Wan Azizah, kata Aziz Bari", Aziz had told The Malaysian Insider that the Sultan was bound by the Declaration of Constitutional Principles 1992, which set guidelines for the rulers, including clarifying the role of royalty in politics.
The second article, "Only God, not Sultan, has absolute powers, says legal expert," was based on a speech Aziz had given during a forum organised by Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) on September 8,titled "PAS and Umno – where are they headed?"
He had told the audience that according to the constitution, the Sultan's discretionary powers in appointing a menteri besar was limited to cases of a hung parliament.
Aziz said this did not apply in Selangor's case as Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail had the majority support of the Selangor state assembly.
Police investigations are expected to be completed by the end of the week, after Aziz and the complainants' statements are recorded.
If Aziz is charged, he will be the second academician to be charged with sedition, following Professor Azmi Sharom from Universiti Malaya.
He would face up to three years imprisonment and fined not more than RM5,000, or both.
Azmi, a law professor, was charged with sedition on September 2, over his statements published in an online news portal on the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis.
Aziz now joins a string of opposition politicians, social activists, a law professor, news portal Malaysiakini and one of its journalists, as well as a Muslim scholar, all of whom have either been charged with sedition, facing trial or are under investigation.
Earlier this month, activists Safwan Anang and Adam Adli Abd Halim were sentenced to 10 months and 12 months in prison respectively, for remarks made at a May 13 forum last year calling on the people to take to the streets over the general election results.
Activist Ali Abd Jalil faces three sedition charges for allegedly insulting the Johor royalty and the Selangor Sultan in Facebook postings. Ali, declared a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International, was released on bail yesterday after being detained for more than 20 days.
Last Friday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had his statement recorded by police over a report lodged against him in 2011, where he allegedly uttered seditious remarks over his second sodomy case.
On September 20, police recorded a statement from lawyer Edmund Bon, who is being investigated for sedition for saying that non–Muslims are not subject to fatwas or the Shariah courts.
Former Selangor PAS ulama committee member, Wan Ji Wan Hussin, was charged on September 10 for posting allegedly seditious words on Facebook that belittled the Selangor Sultan’s role as head of Islamic matters in the state.
On September 4, journalist Susan Loone was arrested in Penang over her article on an interview with state executive council member Phee Boon Poh and the mass arrests of the state’s Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) on Merdeka Day.
Other opposition politicians who have been charged for sedition include Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, Serai MP N Surendran, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Batu MP Tian Chua, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer and Changkat Jering assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin. – September 30, 2014.