Sanusi Sedition Case Timeline: Kedah MB Arrested by Police at 3 am

Current caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has been the subject of multiple controversial headlines lately, most recently claiming that compared to Muslims, more non-Muslims get arrested for offering and receiving bribes. Now, Sanusi has been arrested by the police for allegedly making seditious remarks against the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Read on for the timeline of events leading up to his arrest according to reports by Malay Mail. Note: there were so many headlines involving Sanusi that we had a hard time summarising them all.

12 July "Not enough inches"

Sanusi who is also the current Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director and a PAS politician recently delivered a speech during the Jelajah Selangor campaign. During the 48-year old’s speech, he made a comparison between the Kedah and Selangor rulers in appointing caretaker Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, calling him “cokia” (low quality). He also said that Amirudin “didn’t have quite enough inches” while laughing, apparently making a sexually suggestive joke.

13 July "3R investigation"

Following his controversial remarks, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said that the investigation papers on the “3R” (race, religion, royalty) had been opened on Sanusi. Other investigation papers sent to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) involving politicians also included PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

14 July "Police report lodged"

Selangor Council of the Royal Court member Datuk Emran Abdul Kadir lodged a police report against Sanusi and said that the Kedah MB should apologise for his remarks against Selangor’s Ruler.

15 July "Political rivals twisted my words"

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Sanusi said his apology was relayed via a letter sent to the Selangor palace and read by the Ruler yesterday. He also claimed that his political rivals had twisted his words.

17 July "Selangor Palace media statement"

The Selangor Palace issued a media statement saying that Sanusi had insulted and questioned the credibility of the Selangor royal institution in his recent political speech.

Selangor Palace said Kedah caretaker MB Sanusi insulted and questioned the credibility of the Selangor royal institution in a recent political speech.Sanusi is reportedly going to be charged at the Selayang sessions court tomorrow, Tuesday. Not clear yet under what law. pic.twitter.com/tFZXnBmG4n

— Hadi Azmi (@amerhadiazmi) July 17, 2023

18 July "3am arrest"

1.Sanusi had been arrested at a hotel in Dutamas at 3.00 am. He was arrested under Section 4 (1) (A) of the Sedition Act 1984 and was brought to the Gombak police station. The chronology of events was posted in a video by a member of the Jeneri state legislative assembly, Helmi Khalid on his Facebook page.

2. He was charged at the Sessions Court in Selayang and pleaded not guilty to two charges before Judge Nor Rajiah Mat Zin and Judge Osman Affendi Mohd Shalleh. For this first charge, Sanusi was accused of insulting the Selangor Ruler during the speech. For the second charge, Sanusi had accused the PM of using the monarchy to justify the formation of his unity government.

3. Sanusi has hinted that he will contest in the state elections next month as the court has set 4 October for mention and submission of documents. He also cried foul over his arrest, saying that he was being politically persecuted and that his rival’s intent was to disrupt PN’s progress for the state elections.

4. Pendang Member of Parliament, Datuk Awang Hashim, who is Central PAS Committee member, has stated that Sanusi’s charges should serve as a lesson for all Malaysians as he went overboard.

5. Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) have condemned the use of the colonial era law as in past election campaigns, Pakatan Harapan had promised to repeal this law.

6. Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that the use of the Sedition Act 1948 is justified as it involved the Ruler’s position and said that it would not be used for criticism against the prime minister.

Image credit: facebook.com/N24MuhammadSanusiMdNor, Malay Mail