KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — The police said today they are investigating the owners of the “Hannah Yeoh” Facebook page for allegedly publishing a seditious and inflammatory remark, and the owner would be called in to explain themselves.
However, the quote that is being investigated by the police was a fake quote attributed to herself, Yeoh told Malay Mail today.
In a statement, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department director Commissioner Datuk Huzir Mohamed said the investigation was started on March 11, under Section 4(1) of Sedition Act 1948, Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Section 4(1) handles acts of seditious tendencies, Section 505(c) on “statements conducing to public mischief”, while Section 233 handles improper use of network facilities or network service.
According to the police, the quote in question was: “Considering that the deputy minister of women and family development is from PAS, so marriage with minor (to permit sex with children) will spread after this. This is the disease of uncivilised Muslims in this country.”
Yeoh had shared the quote on her Facebook page on March 11, but it was to debunk the false quote being attributed to her.
“That is insane. It is a fake quote,” the Segambut MP explained to Malay Mail.
Yeoh’s Facebook post was responding to the fake quote originally distributed on March 11 by a pro-Muafakat Nasional blog, muafakatnasional.net, run by Hulu Selangor Umno.
The blog has since deleted the graphic with the fake quote, and replaced it with a different one.
Yesterday, Malay Mail reported Yeoh saying she has been asked to appear in Bukit Aman for questioning over a social media post related to child marriage.
The former deputy women, family and community development minister said she had received a call from the Federal police headquarters over a tweet in March.
In the original Tweet, Yeoh had expressed concern over the national roadmap to combat child marriage following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.
Saya telah dipanggil oleh Bukit Aman untuk memberi keterangan bagi siasatan mengenai tweet ini. Sekarang ini, tanya soalan pun tak boleh. Sidang Parlimen bulan Mei juga tak diberi peluang tanya soalan. Roadmap ini hasil kerja kuat pentadbiran bawah PH @drwanazizah. pic.twitter.com/M72pb5p1I6
— Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) June 16, 2020
Earlier today, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has warned the Perikatan Nasional government against intimidating detractors, after the police launched a criminal investigation into a DAP MP’s comment about child marriage.
In a statement critical of Putrajaya’s handling of the matter, the former deputy prime minister said Yeoh was merely performing her duty as an elected representative when she questioned the new administration’s position on child marriage.
Dr Wan Azizah is also the former women and community development minister, with Yeoh as her deputy.
In January, their ministry launched the National Strategic Plan for Addressing the Causes of Underage Marriage, a five-year plan that it hopes will end the ongoing practice of marriages with minors.
The 18-page plan listed seven objectives, to be achieved through 16 strategies and 58 programmes that will be executed by 61 agencies.
