YOURSAY | 'Caricature is an acceptable art form in any democracy.'

Artist gets a month's jail, RM30k fine for Najib clown drawing

Clever Voter: Last month, the court sentenced two whistleblowers - PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli and former bank clerk Johari Mohamed - to jail. Now an artist. Who is next? It’s anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, politicians and ex-politicians who blatantly abused public money for personal gains are getting away scot-free. The double standards being applied in these cases are hard to understand.

HaveAGreatDay: Graphic designer Fahmi Reza’s lawyer Syahredzan Johan said that judge Norashima Khalid did not give the grounds for his decision except that the defence had failed to establish reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case.

Well, no surprise here as there are no grounds for this decision.

Simple Truth: Nowadays, justice seems hard to come by. Delivering court decisions without giving grounds seems to be the trend.

Ryan: The court already ruled that PM Najib Razak is not a public officer and yet we cannot depict him as a clown?

And why did the judge rule that someone is guilty without even giving the grounds for his decision?

Anonymous #19098644: Indeed, this is a miscarriage of justice. It is unfortunate but both the magistrates' courts and the sessions courts report to the Attorney-General’s Office.

Thus, the prosecutor’s office is also the boss of the Sessions Court judges. It is difficult for anyone to have the moral fibre to stand up to their bosses.

Cogito Ergo Sum: The verdict has rendered the law a comical farce. When satirists, cartoonists and even poets are persecuted for their craft, it is time to change the law and those behind it.

These artistes are the lifeblood of society and their works reflect the zeitgeist of the times. What bad times have befallen us! Fahmi is part of Malaysia’s cultural heritage.

Anonymous_40f4: If the same law was applied in the US, then half of that country would be in jail for making fun of President Donald Trump.

The kleptocrat and his minions are gods and untouchable.

Ash Burn: Most Malaysians found the drawing of a clown-face Najib funny. The more widespread one’s reputation, the more one should expect this sort of thing.

The value of free speech includes the right to say things that may be viewed as “not nice” or “impolite”, especially in respect to those in high office. After all, free speech without the right to question is pointless.

Anonymous 1330001439179066: Indeed, caricature is an acceptable art form in any democracy.

Mano: This case should actually have been just thrown out. Are we living in a police state? Using public institutions to intimidate the public and waste taxpayers’ money is, at least to me, ‘haram’.

Kangkung: The day has come where you can't even draw a caricature depicting the Eternal Leader aka MO1 (Malaysian Official 1), like in North Korea.

And the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is now a hallowed institution that all must bow to and respect.

We are now a totalitarianism nation where the Eternal Leader is beyond reproach.

Ace: Has this country gone mad? We fear cartoons, yellow balloons, statues of dogs, pictures of pigs… but we have no fear of thieves, no fear of those who stir up racial and religious tensions, no fear of corrupted officials and no fear of compromised institutions?

MCA leaders avoiding Chinese-majority seats: Guan Eng

Clever Voter: MCA has done the right thing strategically (avoiding Chinese-majority seats). It doesn't matter who supports who, it’s the logo they represent that counts.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng should reconsider what he has said and consider the multi-ethnic approach. Otherwise, he cannot blame others for calling him a chauvinistic person too.

Cogito Ergo Sum: The days of voting along racial lines are at the end. We must think as Malaysians. Otherwise, we are doomed to go the way of the dinosaurs. We are, after all, Malaysians first, Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Anonymous_3f4b: If MCA is avoiding Chinese-majority areas, then why is DAP contesting mostly in Chinese-majority areas when it touts itself as a multiracial party?

In truth, DAP is a totally chauvinistic Chinese-dominated party with a token semblance of Indians and a marginal Malay presence. Without Chinese votes, it will be completely lost and would disappear.

RedHero: MCA top dogs, such as its president Liow Tiong Lai, deputy Wee Ka Siong and secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan, claim to be leaders of the second largest BN Chinese-based component party and constantly blabber about it representing the Chinese in the government, championing Chinese schools, culture, etc.

But then, they stand in safe Malay-majority seats and are dependent on Malay (or rather Umno) votes to be elected. What a farce.

There are so many Chinese-majority seats for MCA to contest, but it has no guts to stand against DAP candidates in these seats.

No wonder these leaders dare not open their mouth and question their Umno masters (even a mere division leader like Jamal Md Yunos), lest they be slapped and reminded who gave them their cabinet positions.

Anonymous One: MCA should walk the talk. Its pride is at stake. Take the challenge and prove DAP wrong. Otherwise, shut up and close shop.

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