Yew gestures during the press conference.
KUCHING: Yew Bang Keng, the Facebook user who was arrested by police in Sibu on Nov 9 for posting a false statement attributed to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, claims he has been wrongfully arrested for his posting on social media.
He said what he had posted was merely his views and that it was his right to exercise his freedom of speech.
“This is an era of social media and I voiced my opinion in the Facebook page ‘Sarawak Keluar Malaysia 2021’ (Sarawak Secede Malaysia 2021). If you look at the page, I have posted a few (comments). But what became controversial was the photograph of ‘Tok Nan’ which I took from Google.
“What I wrote was mainly my point of views and I did not claim that ‘Tok Nan’ said it (Sarawak to secede from Malaysia). I only echoed what he said after that. We all have a right to state our views and this is not a defamation,” he told a press conference at a coffee shop here yesterday.
Yew, who goes by a moniker Beng Kor, related to reporters that he had willingly presented himself to the police in Sibu not to surrender himself but to carry out his duty as a citizen.
“I also filed a report there where I told the police that this was a wrongful arrest because the main problem is the Facebook page and not what I posted because that is my opinion in the page.
“After giving my statement to the police, they realised that what I said was correct so they released me on Monday (Nov 14) and I thank them for being professional in this,” he said.
Following Yew’s posting, the Chief Minister’s Office on Nov 7 issued a statement refuting the online post that Adenan had made any public statement to threaten to secede from Malaysia if the federal government did not solve some problems raised openly by the chief minister.
This also resulted in several police reports lodged against the Facebook page including one from Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.
To this, Yew lashed out saying that the state elected representatives should be the ones representing the voice of the people.
“I voiced out my thoughts on this issue but instead I was reported by the elected representatives including Assistant Minister for Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin.
“One police report is more than sufficient. Why should there be more than 10 police reports lodged and their statements to the police were mostly distorted? Because of that, I have become the victim and got arrested in the process claiming that I defamed the chief minister.”
He also took the opportunity to criticise Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s recent statement which welcomed discussions on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement.
“The prime minister should not talk so much. All he has to do is fulfill what has been stated under the Malaysia Agreement.”
Yew also expressed his interest in standing for the next state election in 2021 because he wanted to be able to represent the people at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).
“I want to stand and let my voice be heard on behalf of the people because our political parties are not fighting for the rights of the people. Of all the 82 elected representatives, none of them has ever stood up for the people’s rights.”