Shouldn T The Authorities At Least Compensate Satirist Fahmi Reza For His Burnt Flight Ticket

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“CONFUSION”. “Miscommunication”.
These were the purported explanations proffered by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain over social activist Fahmi Reza being prevented from taking a flight abroad by immigration officers.
“In this regard, PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) would like to clarify that there are no official restrictions imposed on Fahmi Reza at this time,” the nati0n’s top cop pointed out in a statement yesterday (June 8).

“However, his name has been included in the movement monitoring list for the purposes of PDRM’s internal records and references following our on-going investigation into the case.
“It’s important to emphasise that this monitoring list is not a form of movement restriction but rather part of the usual monitoring procedures implemented by the authorities.”
However, the firebrand graphic artist known for anti-government caricatures was non-plussed.
Fahmi said he plans to sue the government over this “miscommunication” that led to him being barred from travelling abroad.
In a Facebook post, Fahmi lamented that no government official had taken responsibility for the mistake which caused him to miss an overseas trip.
“You restricted me, caused me trouble, wasted my time and money,” he hit out.

“The government and authorities aren’t immune. You always tell me to ‘follow the proper channels’, right?
“Okay, see you in court,” was his ominous warning.
This development was shared on Buletin TV3 Facebook page which has generated over 10K likes, 2.8K comments and 314 shares at the time of writing, underlining that many Malaysians don’t quite buy this flimsy line of reasoning from the authorities.

One netizen mocked the powers-that-be for being “confused” over a variety of issues, including blacklists, gender, nepotism, purple gas tanks, AES cameras and missing stocks of local rice, among a host of things.

Flight ticket wasted and the cops get away with a simple “confused” excuse? This surely was unacceptable, insinuated one commenter.

It was also highlighted that despite Fahmi being a vociferous critic of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his government, there were no movement restrictions on him.
This is unlike the scenario under Madani administration which is seen to curtail the dissident’s freedom to speak out, observed one netizen.

All said and done, whether one agrees with Fahmi Reza’s stance or not, it is time Malaysians reject such flimsy excuses for taking draconian actions.
Indeed, Fahmi should not only be indemnified for the wasted plane ticket but be compensated for curtailing his freedom of movement.
That is a serious denial of a person’s civil liberties and the powers-that-be need to learn that they cannot keep getting away by providing such flimsy excuses.
As one netizen succinctly expressed, this is what has become of his country – from top to bottom, it is dictated by spin, twisted facts and taici (slang for “washing of hands”).
FocusM firmly believes in transparency and accountability. For the time being, it is hoped that Fahmi gets not just restitution but also justice.
This heavy-handed abuse of power – conveniently swept aside with paper-thin excuses – affects everybody and it has to stop. –  Focus Malaysia

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