MEMBAKUT: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Membakut lodged a police report on Tuesday over a Facebook post linking the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir to the daughter of State Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Arifin Mohd Arif.
Its Secretary Mohd Shamsul Husry Abdul Wahid said the post was filled with false accusations, slander and attempts to tarnish the reputation of the Education Exco.
He said the allegations were untrue, provocative and could create negative public perception while disrupting investigations into Zara’s death.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“As Dr Arifin stated on Aug 9, Farisya Maisara is not his daughter and none of his children are, or have ever been, students at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar,” he said.
He described the irresponsible remarks as malicious public incitement, threatening the safety and dignity of both the victim’s family and the accused party.
He urged the authorities to act swiftly against the Facebook account owner, adding that their lawyers are reviewing legal options to file a lawsuit.
He also advised the public to stop spreading defamatory claims about the case.
Shamsul said the division wants immediate investigation into several Facebook account holders for posting the false and defamatory statements.
The report also called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate and act against those spreading the content.
In Beaufort, several Gagasan Rakyat Membakut committee members also lodged police reports, led by its information chief Awang Daud Ag Anak, who denied that Dr Arifin’s daughter was involved in the bullying case.
“We want the police to investigate and take action against those spreading slander on social media against the Membakut Assemblyman,” he said.
A total of seven branches of the division lodged reports on the matter.