Kit Siang urges MCMC to act over RPK’s ‘fake news’ on Kuok
The DAP veteran leader says the fake news article alleged he received funding up to RM100 million from the billionaire tycoon.
(FMT) – DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang today reported several cases of fake news to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
One case concerned an article on the website www.thirdforce.net, entitled “Stop Lying Kit Siang. You got paid by Robert Kuok”, by Raggie Jessy, a pen name.
Lim said it was the “worst example of fake news gone berserk”.
“The article alleged I received from Kuok as much as RM100 million paid over four years since the last general election.
“The article also stated that I am responsible for a group of radical evangelists that organise activities to spark a feud between Malays and Chinese.
“It said that I was anti-Muslim and anti-Islam and was planning a Chinese-ruled Malaysia,” he told a press conference at the MCMC headquarters. He was accompanied by Selangor DAP youth leader Young Syefura Othman, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and DAP Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San.
Lim said he urged MCMC to investigate the report which its author had admitted would be shared widely.
He said the allegation of funding by Kuok was first made by Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, and was a malicious, baseless and savage attack on the tycoon.
Calling fake news as the greatest threat to peace in Malaysia, he charged it was used to promote the political interest of the government.
“In other countries, fake news was used by authoritarian governments to dispel (accusations of) human rights violations. In Malaysia it was used to dispel (news of) corruption.”
Lim also commented on the recent seizure of various assets overseas that allegedly were acquired with money stolen from national investment fund 1MDB.
“Let’s look at the RM400 million that the Switzerland government may impound as it is 1MDB-related money.
“Yesterday we heard of the impoundment of Equanimity, the almost RM1 billion yacht allegedly owned by businessman Low Taek Jho, whose Bombardier Global 5000 jet was seized in early February.”
The yacht was seized by Indonesian authorities in Bali yesterday while authorities in Singapore took custody of the jet.
Lim said the Dewan Rakyat, which will meet from Monday, should urge the government to make a claim for the RM400 million in Switzerland, and the yacht and jet.
“I will suggest that opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who will open the debate, move an amendment to the motion of thanks to the Agong, to ask the government to lay a claim to these 1MDB-related assets,” he said.
Another case of fake news, brought up by Young Syefura, accused her of taking part in a meal where a suckling pig was cut up.
She said the article was posted on the Facebook page of one “Ustazah Hamidah” on Feb 14.
“This posting showed Selangor PKR state exco Elizabeth Wong, PKR assemblywoman Chua Yee Ling and PKR Selayang councillor Fok Wai Mun at a Chinese festive event but implicated me in that picture,” she said.
“The post claimed I would do anything for Chinese votes. This is slander of the highest degree as having the suckling pig in the picture is really sensitive to Muslims.
“This matter is embarrassing and affects me in a great way. People from out of town who don’t know Wong might believe that it was me as stated in the post.
“Fake news like this must be stopped immediately. Every time I go somewhere, Malays and Chinese would ask me if the Facebook posting was true.”
