Not right to equate Muhammad Sanusi's arrest with PM's in 1998 - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: It is not appropriate to equate the arrest of Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor with that of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, said Pakatan Harapan (PH) communications director Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi said a better comparison for Muhammad Sanusi's case was the arrest of an elderly man in 2021 for allegedly making a statement insulting the Kedah Menteri Besar.

"It's different (Anwar's arrest and Sanusi's case). This is the narrative trying to be spun (by certain quarters). But the reality is that in 2021 there was an elderly man in his 60s who was arrested at 3 or 4 am for allegedly insulting Muhammad Sanusi.

"So to me that may be a more accurate comparison," Fahmi, who is Communications and Digital Minister, told reporters after the national-level Maal Hijrah 1445H/2023 celebration at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) here today.

He was commenting on media reports which described the arrest of Muhammad Sanusi by police at 3 am yesterday as somewhat reflective of what happened to Anwar during his arrest in 1998.

On Aug 9, 2021, a 61-year-old man was arrested at a house in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan at 3.57 am and remanded to help in investigations into the circulation of a video which insulted the Kedah Menteri Besar.

Yesterday, Muhammad Sanusi was arrested at about 3 am in Kuala Lumpur, after he could not be contacted by police to secure his attendance at the Selayang Sessions Court the same day to face two charges under the Sedition Act in relation to his remarks at a ceramah last week.

-- BERNAMA