Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad arrives at the Sessions Court in Jalan Duta today. Khalid claimed trial over a sedition charge regarding remarks about the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the Selangor Sultan. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, August 26, 2014.Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad pleaded not guilty to a sedition charge over remarks on the Selangor Sultan and the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais), making him the third opposition politician to be charged for seditious and defamatory remarks in the last seven days.
PKR vice-president N. Surendran was charged for sedition on August 19 over his remarks on opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial.
Former Perak MB Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who is also from PAS, was charged yesterday for defaming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a speech two years ago.
Sessions judge Aswarnida Affandi set bail for Khalid at RM4,000 with one surety and fixed September 22 for mention.
The charge under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of three years, or both.
As such, Khalid risk disqualification as an MP if he is found guilty and fined more than RM2,000 or jailed more than a year.
Present at court today to support Khalid were former Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and PAS central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli.
Khalid had on June 26 called for the Enactment on Islamic Laws Administration (Enactment No. 3, 1952) and the Islamic Religion Administration Enactment 2003 to be reviewed.
He made the call after Mais failed to follow the attorney-general’s decision that the Iban- and Malay-language Bibles seized by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) be returned to The Bible Society of Malaysia.
On July 15, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said Khalid was rude for questioning his position as the head of Islam in the state.
"The Shah Alam MP should not have questioned Mais' executive powers and suggested that the Pakatan Rakyat government abolish its executive powers.
"I am saddened and disappointed with this irresponsible statement,” the ruler said.
Khalid said he would apologise to the sultan if his remarks were understood by the ruler to be challenging his powers.
But, he was sticking to his view that the Selangor government should review Mais's executive powers, adding that it was not his intention to challenge the sultan's powers, but to protect the royal institution from any criticism should Mais err in its duties. – August 26, 2014.
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