Facebook posting of unfair distribution of state’s wealth lands DAP CEC man in trouble
KUCHING: A group of Chief Minister’s political secretaries led by Alexander Asing Sadai lodged a police report yesterday against DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) member Dr John Brian Anthony for his Facebook posting which allegedly defamed the state government.
The political secretaries said the Facebook posting had claimed that wealth and socio-economic distributions in Sarawak were lopsided in favour of the Melanau-Malay community.
The 32-strong group lodged the report against John, who is the Bintulu Port Authority chairman, at the Simpang Tiga Police Station here at 11.30am yesterday.
Alexander said the allegations which were posted on January 14 could disrupt the harmonious relations among Sarawakians.
“We find the posting has serious consequences which can potentially undermine the relationship between the various communities in Sarawak and we want the police to investigate the matter,” he said when met by reporters at the police station.
“One of the posts said natives have been marginalised, oppressed and heading towards ethnic cleansing and political genocide.
“This has a very damaging impact on Sarawak because the poster has created friction and potential animosity between the various ethnic groups,” he said.
John has also claimed in his post that the natives have become illegal immigrants on their ancestral land and that many natives had been killed by gangsters hired by elites of a certain political party.
“These are wild allegations. If we don’t do anything to arrest them, they might incite anger which could lead to social unrest.
“When we come across unpleasant and uncivilised posts on social media, we have to respond seriously so that the state remains harmonious.
“It’s not about winning an argument. We are talking about people’s lives which could be affected negatively by the Facebook user,” said Alexander.
In another post, John, who is also Bintulu Port Authority chairman, alleged that those who defended their Native Customary Rights (NCR) lands were considered criminals while those who intruded into such lands were protected by the police and others in power.
“If such a thing really happened he should report it to the appropriate authority instead of posting his allegations on social media. This is politics of hate. We must, at all cost, prevent it from spreading,” he said.
Alexander said he and the political secretaries lodged the police report after much consultation and consideration among themselves.
“Basically we want the police to investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the poster,” he said.
