KUALA LUMPUR: Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah has called on global leaders to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza-Israel conflict and permanently open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza.
April 24, 2021
Instagram/ airtangan tunkuazizah
The arrest of well-known Malaysian graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza for allegedly insulting the country’s queen – who is under fire for a social media faux pas – has triggered an outcry among free speech advocates who say authorities are being trigger-happy in using the law to clamp down on satire.
The police action follows rare public condemnation of the country’s revered royal families, with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warning earlier in the week that the constitutional monarchs may be inadvertently bearing the brunt of frustration over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
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Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza’s arrest for ‘insulting’ queen sparks backlash Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah and Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah pictured at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur in 2019, as then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad looks on. Photo: AFP
The arrest of well-known Malaysian graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza for allegedly insulting the country s queen - who is under fire for a social media faux pas - has triggered an outcry among free speech advocates who say authorities are being trigger-happy in using the law to clamp down on satire.
The police action follows rare public condemnation of the country s revered royal families, with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warning earlier in the week that the constitutional monarchs may be inadvertently bearing the brunt of frustration over the government s handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
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Malaysia’s former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Tuesday (Apr 20) that the Covid-19 state of emergency is turning the Malays against the king.
He asked the king to lift the royal order for the emergency issued in January.
The
South China Morning Post(SCMP) reported that Dr Mahathir, 95, spoke to members of the media on Tuesday (Apr 20) after handing over to the palace a petition asking the king to revoke the royal order. The petition contained 39,000 signatures.
The royal order had given emergency powers to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. This, as well as the suspension of parliament, was turning Malaysia into a âdictatorshipâ, according to Dr Mahathir.Â