KUALA LUMPUR: A p-hailing driver was fined RM10,000 by the Sessions Court for posting offensive content on social media that insulted the royal institution in 2021.
Tan Yong Hua, 42, pleaded guilty before Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali and requested leniency, citing financial struggles and a shoulder injury. I promise not to do it again. I ask for your forgiveness, he said.
The court ruled that Tan would serve six months in jail if he failed to pay the fine.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Ahmad Hijrah Wan Abdullah urged the court to impose a severe penalty to deter similar offenses. "The royal institution is the pillar of the nation. A harsh punishment is necessary to raise awareness and discourage the public from making comments that touch on 3R (race, religion, and royalty) matters," he said.
The offence, committed between November 6 and 7, 2021, involved a post from an Instagram account linked to Tan. The post, deemed offensive and intended to provoke anger, was read by a member of the royal family, Tun Putera Ahmad Aizuddin Shah Mohamed Johan, who subsequently lodged a police report.
Tan was arrested on November 26, 2021, and forensic analysis by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) confirmed the Instagram account was operated by him.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act, which carries a maximum penalty of RM50,000, up to one year in prison, or both.
