It all started on 28 July last month, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim successfully brokered a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia after both countries had endured five days of bloody fighting along their shared border. The clashes had claimed at least 35 lives and displaced more than 270,000 from both sides of the Thailand-Cambodia border.
That Anwar was able to pull off such a high-stakes diplomatic win—just two days after the opposition had rallied tens or even hundreds of thousands in Kuala Lumpur demanding his resignation—must have been a bitter pill to swallow for his critics. No one in the opposition seemed to feel it more acutely than PAS information chief, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.
Unable to contain his frustration, Ahmad Fadhli posted a cartoon on Facebook that many interpreted as a direct insult to Anwar’s role in the ceasefire. The now-deleted post featured a monkey in a judge’s robe mediating between a goat and a sheep who were fighting over bananas, with the caption:
“The goat and sheep shouldn’t need a monkey to mediate their banana dispute.”
Although he didn’t specify who the animals represented, the inclusion of a clipping from the Thailand-Cambodia conflict led many to believe the monkey symbolised Anwar, while the goat and sheep were stand-ins for the two ASEAN nations.
Public backlash was swift. Despite eventually removing the post, Ahmad Fadhli refused to issue an apology. The cartoon was seen by many not just as a slight against Anwar personally, but as an insult to the entire diplomatic effort led by Malaysia in its role as ASEAN chair.
PKR Youth vice-chief Nabil Halimi condemned the post, calling it arrogant and disgraceful. He accused Ahmad Fadhli of not only demeaning the Prime Minister, but also insulting the hard-working diplomatic corps at Wisma Putra who had laboured behind the scenes to make the peace talks a reality.
“The statement is a betrayal to the country and should warrant action by the Royal Malaysian Police,” said Nabil, who praised even opposition figures like Wan Ahmad Fayhsal for at least acknowledging the significance of Anwar’s diplomatic success.
In response, Ahmad Fadhli announced he would be taking legal action against two individuals—one of whom is believed to be Nabil. According to Fadhli, these individuals had “intentionally spread slander” by misinterpreting the meaning of his cartoon post. A Letter of Demand (LoD) has already been prepared as a first step.
Nabil, for his part, is not backing down. He has stated publicly that he is reviewing the LoD and seeking legal advice.
“I remain committed to defending my right to freedom of expression,” he said. “Differences in opinion should not be misinterpreted or used as grounds to suppress constructive criticism.”
It is likely that legal suits will soon be flying in both directions—Ahmad Fadhli suing for defamation, and Nabil possibly counter-suing for harassment or wrongful accusation.
And so here we are, stuck in yet another political tit-for-tat, where politicians will be doing everything they can to make a mountain out of a molehill for a long as they can, while national pride and self esteem continues to go down the drain.
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