PETALING JAYA: Police are investigating Dr Mahathir Mohamad for suspected seditious statements intended to incite contempt or disloyalty towards the royal institution.
Bukit Aman criminal investigation department chief Shuhaily Zain said the former prime minister is being investigated over statements made in a news report on June 6.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 4 (1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“Mahathir’s statement was recorded by the police today, and statements were also taken from Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Marzuki Yahya to assist in the investigation,” he said in a statement.
“This case is still under investigation, and the public is advised not to speculate or share false information that could disrupt the process.”
Earlier today, Mahathir’s lawyer, Rafique Rashid Ali, said the former was quizzed by police for over half an hour about his participation in a press conference on a roundtable discussion related to the Malay Proclamation.
This is the second time Mahathir has been questioned by police over the initiative. The former Langkawi MP was first called in by the authorities on June 2.
“Tun has said that he will answer whatever questions (raised) in court,” said Rafique in a video clip, referring to Mahathir.
The Malay Proclamation is the former prime minister’s initiative to “unite the community”. It lists 12 key problems that it claims are being faced by Malays, and also seeks to unite the community across the political divide.