Stern action against those who insult Malaysian culture

The Malay Consultative Council (MPM) urged the authorities, including the Attorney-General's Chambers, to be more proactive and firm against individuals who have no respect and insult the culture and tradition of the people of this country. The council, in a statement here Saturday, said the Attorney-General's Chambers, which is responsible for upholding the law, should advise the Home Ministry and the Malaysia Royal Police (PDRM), to investigate and prepare charges against those who committed the offence. It said MPM would convene a meeting soon and among the agenda was to prepare a memorandum on the matter to be submitted to the Attorney-General. MPM issued the statement in response to a case where a surveyor, Leong Pei Koe, 29, was sentenced to a month's jail and fined RM8,000 last Wednesday for flashing obscene hand gestures at the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah Hamidon and a police officer, ASP Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid. The sentence was handed down by a Magistrate Court in Penang after Leong pleaded guilty to committing the offence while the car carrying the queen was passing the departure hall of the Bayan Lepas International Airport at 11.50am on Feb 11 this year.