KKB By-Election: RM3,000 Fine and One Month in Jail for Inappropriately Using Agong’s Photo on SUV

HULU SELANGOR: A man was sentenced to one month in jail and fined RM3,000 by the Kuala Kubu Baharu Magistrate’s Court here today for displaying the image of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim during the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) state by-election campaign.

Magistrate Siti Fatimah Talib, who presided over the case, imposed the sentence on P. Ramasamy, 66, after he pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.

The court directed Ramasamy, who is self-employed, to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest on May 4 and will be imprisoned for 10 months if he fails to pay the fine.

Ramasamy was charged with the act of carrying a Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner using a four-wheeled vehicle, with the intention of inciting hatred among different groups of voters in the KKB by-election, to persuade any voter to vote for the PH candidate.
The act was committed around Taman Bukit Bunga near here at about 5.40 pm on May 4.

The charge was made under Section 4(A)1 of the Election Offences Act 1954, which provides for a maximum jail term of five years or a maximum fine of RM10,000 or both. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmah Che Wan while the accused was not represented by a lawyer. Earlier, in his appeal, Ramasamy apologized to the court and asked for a lenient sentence, on the grounds that he did not know that the action was wrong.

Asmah, on the other hand, urged the court to impose a fitting punishment as a lesson not only to the accused but also to the people of Malaysia to prevent such incidents from recurring.

“I request a heavy punishment be given to the accused, taking into account that the offense committed involved insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. This is a sensitive issue and can provoke the anger of all Malaysians,” she said.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that the police had arrested two men and seized a four-wheeled vehicle for displaying the image of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim during the KKB by-election campaign.