Academician Aziz Bari to be probed under Sedition Act

Universiti Selangor (Unisel) lecturer, Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, will be called in for questioning under Section 4 (1) (a) of the Sedition Act 1948, online portal The Malaysian Insider reported. The police officer, whose name was not disclosed, told the portal that Abdul Aziz will only be interrogated at the Sabak Bernam police headquarters in Selangor. "He was not arrested, but will attend an interrogation session tomorrow (Wednesday) at the police station," the officer revealed. The police officer, was also reported as saying that almost 100 police reports were made against Abdul Aziz for allegedly insulting the Sultan of Selangor. The police report was made based on the story, titled ‘Sultan Selangor terikat Deklarasi 1992, perlu lantik Wan Azizah, kata Aziz Bari’ and ‘Only God, not Sultan, has absolute powers.’ In a statement to the portal, published under an article titled, ‘Sultan Selangor terikat Deklarasi 1992, perlu lantik Wan Azizah, kata Aziz Bari’, the lecturer reportedly said the Sultan is bound by the Declaration of Principles of the Constitution of 1992 -- that autonomously set the rules for the Sultan, including explaining the role of the royal family in politics. Meanwhile, the article titled "Only God, not the Sultan, has absolute powers" quoted Abdul Aziz as saying that, according to the Constitution, the discretionary power of the Sultan in appointing ministers is dependent on a particular party majority at the Parliament (hung Parliament). He said this could not be applied in the Selangor case as Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has the majority support of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Selangor. The news is based on Aziz Bari’s speech during a forum organized by the Healthy Ummah Association Malaysia (PasMa) on 8 September, entitled "PAS joins Umno: Where is the direction", at the Chinese Assembly Hall Kuala Lumpur, Selangor (KLSCAH). Two journalists from The Malaysian Insider have also given their statements to the police regarding the articles published by the portal yesterday. INFOGRAPHIC: CHRONOLOGY OF CASES INVOLVING SEDITION ACT The police investigation is expected to end this week after the statements of the complainant and Aziz are recorded. Section 4 (1) (a) of the Sedition Act includes anyone who "commits or attempts to commit, or are preparing to do, or plan to do any act which may, or if made, will be seditious." If convicted, Abdul Aziz can be imprisoned for up to 3 years and fined not more than RM5,000 or both. Another academic, Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom of Universiti Malaya, had been charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court under Section 4 (1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948. Earlier this month, student activists Adam Adli Abdul Halim and Safwan Anang were sentenced to 12 months and 10 months of imprisonment respectively, under the same act. Another activist Ali Abd Jalil faces three charges for alleged incitement and insulting the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim, on Facebook. Ali was released yesterday after being detained for more than 20 days. Malaysiakini journalist, Susan Loone was held in Penang on 4 September in relations to an article she wrote whereby she had interviewed a member of the State Executive Council (Exco) Phee Boon Poh and on the mass arrests of the Volunteer Patrol Team (PPS) on Independence Day. On 10 September, former Selangor PAS Ulama Council member Wan Ji Wan Hussin was prosecuted for incitement due to a Facebook statement commenting o the role of the Sultan of Selangor as head of the state religion.