New Delhi: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called upon Malaysian authorities to drop all charges against cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Alhaque, who was questioned on May 7 by the country’s Kedah state police and had his phone seized.Alhaque, more popularly known as Zunar, was questioned over a caricature of Kedah’s chief minister (called menteri besar) Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor. This is the fifth mobile phone that has been seized by police in a “flurry of investigations” since 2015 over his artwork, according to Free Malaysia Today.The IFJ said that Zunar is being investigated for making a statement which was “conducive to public mischief with intent to incite the community to cause them to commit an offence against any other communities” and under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.Three police reports have been lodged against the cartoonist. Zunar said he was interrogated by the Kedah police for several hours about and had his phone seized. He was not informed of the official complaint over his action. If convicted, he faces jail term up to two years, a fine or both, according to reports.On January 21, Kedah’s chief minister Muhammad Sanusi had declared that the Tamil Hindu holiday Thaipusam would not be observed as a public holiday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Zunar’s cartoon showed him chopping a table where different ethnic groups were seated, with the caption “Kedahans lived peacefully before he came.” This was deemed to be ‘slanderous’ by authorities.The caricature in question. Photo: coconuts/klThe decision by the Kedah chief minister was criticised by rights groups and political leaders, including the Indian community-based political party, Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). The party accused the menteri besar of being biased against the Hindu population. Zunar told the IFJ his work was based on a current issue and he leaves it to the people to interpret it.In a statement, the IFJ said: “We call upon the Malaysia authorities to ensure freedom of expression and allow Zunar to continue his work without fear of reprisal. Cartoons are a vital form of political expression and Malaysian authorities must not misuse force to intimidate, attack and unjustly incarcerate media workers.”According to The Diplomat, Zunar’s questioning represents the deteriorating state of free speech under the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He came to power in March 2020 “after helping precipitate the collapse of the previous ruling coalition”. Critics say Muhyiddin has used the coronavirus pandemic as a “pretext to arm himself with emergency powers, silence dissenting voices, and strengthen his hold on power”, the website noted.In March, his government adopted a so-called “anti-fake news” ordinance that criminalises ‘fake news’ related to COVID-19. Journalists’ bodies said the laws provide an open scope for prosecution with no clear definition of what constitutes “fake news”.Malaysia fell 18 spots on the most recent World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the steepest decline of any Southeast Asian nation, according to The Diplomat.
