The Malaysian Insight

KLANG MP Charles Santiago, under investigation for allegedly making statements that could cause public alarm at a forum last year, said the case against him is nothing but a “witch-hunt and a waste of time”.

The DAP lawmaker, who was questioned by police earlier today said he is being investigated under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, a criminal offence for circulating any statement with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public.

The allegations stem from statements he was supposed to have made on the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) at a forum on November 25, 2019.

“Why are you calling me in after more than 12 months? There is no necessity for this,” Santiago said, after leaving federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman today.

“If this was a very serious or urgent matter, the police should have done their investigations much sooner than this.

“I had to answer 18 standard questions and they showed me two clips of a programme that I attended organised by Suaram: LTTE conundrum and Sosma as a draconian law,” the DAP leader said.

The forum organiser, Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy, was summoned on December 17, 2019 on the same issue.

Sevan, who was also present at Bukit Aman today said: “They came back after a year and said it is part of a process. What kind of standard operating procedure) is this, where you have a long gap in between?

“We call it purely intimidation and harassment against MPs and also civil societies,” said Sevan.

Santiago’s lawyer, John Fam, said this case has no basis and foundation.

“If there is something really defamatory, then we will handle it in court,” Fam said.

At the forum last year, Santiago had said the arrests of a dozen people under Sosma over alleged links to the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were actually due to criticism of controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik, who then threatened to sue Santiago for defamation.

“If there is one person they should be investigating, it should be him. His talk is very controversial and it divides our society.

“The police have called in the wrong people, not politicians like me who have the right to raise issues in the interest of the nation,” Santiago said.

In a written reply in Parliament earlier this year, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said Sosma remained relevant and the Perikatan Nasional government is committed to improving security laws, including the Sedition Act 1948.

The former Pakatan Harapan government had spoken about abolishing the draconian provisions in Sosma, but could not do so during its 22 months in power. – December 18, 2020.