IGP wants provocative billboards taken down

Inspector-General of Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar today called on local authorities in Selangor to take down provocative billboards.

Khalid via his Twitter account said the #BebasAnwar (#Free Anwar) billboards could be deemed seditious and out to confuse the people.

He said the words on the billboards describing former opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as 'Tahanan Politik' (Political Prisoner) were allegedly seditious and could confuse the people.

"At the same time, the local authorities concerned have been asked to bring down the provocative billboards," he said.

@PDRMsia kesan Billboard dgn kata2 menghasut dn mengelirukan rakyat yg merujuk DSAI sebagai 'Tahanan Politik'
— Khalid Abu Bakar (@KBAB51) March 19, 2016

He also said action would be taken against NGO Selangor chairman Datuk Jamal Md Yunos for threatening to torch the billboards.

@PDRMsia sdg ambil tind ter'dap Dato Jamal Yunus kerana ancam bakar poster. Pd masa sama PBT telah diminta turunkan Billboard2 yg menghasut.
— Khalid Abu Bakar (@KBAB51) March 19, 2016

On Wednesday, Jamal had led a group to string across a banner on the #BebasAnwar billboard in Ampang near here as sign of protest and had also threatened to burn it.

He said the contents challenged the decision of the courts to convict Anwar for sodomy.

He added that there were more such billboards in Selangor among others in Subang and Rawang.

Meanwhile, Ampang Jaya police chief ACP Hamzah Alias said police on Thursday had recorded statements from Jamal and several witnesses regarding the incident.

On Feb 10, 2015, Anwar failed in his appeal to the Federal Court over his sodomy conviction and is currently serving a five-year jail sentence.

He was found guilty of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, at Unit 11-5-1, Kondominium Desa Damansara in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara here betwen 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

Earlier today, Jamal had also attempted to torch the same billboard erected at Simpang Tiga, Jalan Loji, Sungai Besar but was prevented from doing so by police.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said that he would be lodging a police report on the provocative billboard.

He added that the billboard was also illegal because it did not have the approval number from the local authority stated on it.