Malaysia’s Sabah state arrests artist over caricature despite PM Anwar’s disapproval

Parties in Malaysia’s ruling coalition and free speech activists have slammed the arrest of artist-activist Fahmi Reza in Sabah on suspicion of sedition for a caricature criticizing the appointment of a politician once accused of graft as the state’s next governor. 

Fahmi was remanded for a day by a Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, following his arrest a day earlier in the Malaysian Bornean state under the colonial-era Sedition Act, Sabah Police Commissioner Jauteh Dikun told BenarNews.

“Fahmi is currently under detention,” Jauteh said, adding Fahmi was remanded so police could conduct an investigation. Local media reports said the activist was being investigated for allegedly insulting the Sabah governor with his satirical artwork.

The youth wing of the People’s Justice Party (PKR) noted that party chief and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had stated that Fahmi should not be arrested for his caricature. 

Fahmi’s sketch shows Musa, who’s from ruling coalition member-party UMNO, dressed as a governor and with a 100-ringgit note clenched between his teeth. 

“The Prime Minister himself has publicly stated that he does not support the arrest or prosecution of Fahmi Reza in relation to his artwork,” said a statement by PKR Youth.

“Fahmi Reza has merely expressed his views and criticisms through his art and satire. Can this truly be considered a crime?”

Still, anti-corruption activists and many Malaysians on social media criticized the appointment of Musa, who was controversially acquitted in the logging case after the Attorney General’s Office withdrew 46 corruption charges against him without stating a reason.

The acquittal came after Musa’s party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), regained power in 2020 as a member of Malaysia’s unelected ruling coalition. Musa is seen as an ally of Najib Razak, who’s currently in prison for corruption.

‘High-handed action’

A rights group, Aliran, criticized Fahmi’s arrest and said all charges against Fahmi should be dropped.

“Such high-handed action conflicts with the spirit of political reforms that the people have long sought. … The misappropriation of public assets undermines the nation’s socioeconomic development and the people’s well-being,” Aliran said, referring to the accusations against Musa.

“People have a constitutional right to peacefully express their concerns about such public interest issues, as Fahmi has done through his art.”

Aliran also called on the government to amend or repeal any laws that curb basic rights. 

“Pending a legislative review of such laws, we call for a moratorium on the enforcement of repressive provisions in those laws,” the group said.

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The Sedition Act carries a prison sentence of up to three years, or a fine of up to U.S. $1,100, or both. It outlaws speech deemed as insulting the Malaysian royalty or inciting racial or religious tensions.

Malaysian civil society groups and human rights activists have accused Prime Minister Anwar of breaking campaign promises to cancel laws that curb free speech and stifle dissent.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, more than 200 youths in Sabah held a rally against Musa’s appointment as governor and calling for an end to what they said was entrenched corruption in the state.

The Sabah Anti-Corruption Peace Rally, organized by university students and youth activists, demanded accountability and transparency in the state government.

The protest saw participants march 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the campus of Universiti Malaysia Sabah to Menara Kinabalu, the administrative headquarters of the Sabah government.

Fadhil Kasim, who coordinated the rally, said it was meant to send “a clear message to those high up in the Sabah government” that the state’s residents had had enough.

“We’re youths demanding a clean, transparent state government. Enough with corruption,” he told reporters.

The rally came on the heels of a viral video by a whistleblower and an exposé by local publication Malaysiakini, which alleged that the Sabah chief minister, some assemblymen and state ministers had discussed getting payoffs to facilitate a mining project. 

The current Sabah government is led by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which like UMNO is a member of Malaysia’s ruling coalition led by PM Anwar.

Political analyst Azmi Hassan said the Tuesday rally was significant because young activists staged it.

“This rally could have a strong impact on [next year’s] election [in Sabah],” Azmi, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, told BenarNews. 

James Chin, a political scientist from the University of Tasmania, said Musa’s appointment had also tainted the governor’s office.

“While the governor’s role is largely ceremonial, Musa Aman’s reputation drags the institution into controversy,” he said.

“[But] Malaysians regard corruption as part and parcel of the political system.”