PKR's Shuhaimi charged with sedition

The Sri Muda assemblyperson is out on RM8,000 bail, and the case is set for mention on March 28. Sri Muda state assemblyperson Shuhaimi Shafiei was today charged in the Shah Alam Sessions Court for allegedly posting a seditious article on his blog. The blog post on Dec 30 last year allegedly questioned the powers of the Selangor sultan, in an article entitled 'Pandangan saya berasaskan Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959'. The charge is framed under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act, which covers the publishing of an article that is deemed seditious. NONEIf found guilty, Shuhaimi faces a maximum fine of RM5,000 or jail not exceeding three years for a first offence. Judge Latifah Mohd Tahar set bail at RM8,000 in one surety and fixed the case for mention on March 28. Shuhaimi arrived at the courthouse about 9.15am. There was a heavy police presence with at least two truck-loads of Light Strike Force personnel manning the main gate. There was also a clutch of police, and special branch officers were seen taking pictures and observing the supporters assembled at the courthouse to welcome Shuhaimi. Among the Pakatan Rakyat and opposition leaders present were PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, state DAP chief Teresa Kok, Selangor excos Ronnie Liu and Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Kota Damansara state assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim, Lembah Pantai MP Nurrul Izzah Anwar and Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne. A defence team of seven, led by prominent human rights lawyer Edmund Bon, is representing Shuhaimi. The others are Latheefa Koya, Yusmadi Yusoff, N Surendran, Amer Hamzah Arshad, Fahri Azzat and Nizam Bashir. Deputy public prosecutors Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria and Ishak Mohd Yusof appeared for the prosecution. Case 'politically motivated' Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, Amer said the charge against Shuhaimi is clearly politically motivated. wong chin huat second remand 060509 amer hamzahHe said the defence will file an application within a month at the High Court to strike out this case. Amer also questioned the quantum of bail, saying that it was unfair to impose a bail amount that is higher than the penalty for the offence. "The bail amount has to be logical. The penalty is RM5,000 but bail is set at RM8,000... Isn't that oppression?" he asked. Surendran, who is also a PKR vice-president, added that the case against Shuhaimi is a clear example of the BN government's abuse of power through the Attorney-General's (AG) Chambers, to weed out dissent. "Everytime the AG files a charge under the Sedition Act, it is always against the opposition, activists and anyone who questions the government. The democratic process is being undermined by a single man who wields so much power. "One thing that we learn from this is that the office of the AG must be reformed because one man cannot have so much power to bring charges against anyone." Surendran suggested that a new system, such as a grand jury indictment system, should be used to counter the AG's far-reaching powers and further, that the government should repeal the Sedition Act. NONE At least 20 police reports were lodged against Shuhaimi in the aftermath of his blog post, with conservative Malay rights group Perkasa and anti-Pakatan Selangor government movement Gaps demanding that he be hanged for inciting "war on the Malay rulers". Shuhaimi went under the radar for several weeks following the furore, before finally emerging on Jan 12 to give his statement to the police. He also put it on record in the Selangor state assembly last week that he was not referring to the sultan in his blog post - rather, he was training his guns on Putrajaya's 'lackeys', who he claimed are ever ready to please their political masters at the expense of the people and country.