KUALA LUMPUR: Save Malaysia spokesman Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has lodged a police report against the government for allegedly suppressing freedom of speech.
Tun Faisal, who is also a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) member, said the government had arrested citizens who used a specific slur word to describe Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as reported by FMT.
Among the people named in the report included Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
This is also following Putrajaya Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin's rebuttal to Anwar during a debate in Parliament in September where the Putrajaya MP allegedly used a slur to describe Anwar.
Tun Faisal said using the slur word in referencing Anwar was not unlawful because the Federal Court had upheld the prime minister's second sodomy conviction and sentence in February 2015.
Meanwhile, Anwar has maintained his royal pardon exonerated him of all charges and thus the slur word was unfounded.
"Radzi's claims were not fictitious or an accusation. Anwar was found guilty by the court after a long investigation process through scientific evidence," he was quoted as saying.
"The term was a fact and speaking out using factual information is not a crime or an act that needs to be investigated.
"We view the investigations over those who have used the term against Anwar as a form of abuse of power," Tun Faisal said after lodging the report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters today.
On Sep 28, political secretaries to the unity government ministers called for Radzi to be barred from the parliament.
Prime Minister's senior political secretary Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said that Radzi crossed the line when he deliberately attacked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said that Radzi also fiercely defied the ruling by the Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul before which ended in him ejected from Dewan Rakyat.