Witness lodged police report fearing Papagomo’s remarks would cause unrest

KUALA LUMPUR: A trader told the Sessions Court that he lodged a police report because he was worried about potential fighting and unrest following the purported provocative remarks by Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, known as Papagomo, linking the government with Israel and the West.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam re-examined Hisham Sharudin, 42, on Thursday (July 11) before Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali in the former Umno Youth Exco trial.

He said he watched a video on the Facebook account Halid Hamidi and TikTok account @projekpapa featuring Wan Muhammad Azri’s statement before making the report.

The first prosecution witness stated that after watching and analysing the video, he found Wan Muhammad Azri’s statements to be inciting people to hate the government by claiming it is currently pro-Israel.

“These claims are untrue because numerous government programmes and actions condemn Israel’s actions,” he said.

Hence, Hisham said these statements were an insult to the government and could undermine efforts to maintain the government’s consistent stance in supporting the Palestinian people’s struggle for independence.

“Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), as the head of the government, visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey at the end of October 2023 to garner their support in condemning Israel’s cruel actions against the Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.

During cross-examination by Wan Muhammad Azri’s lawyer, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, the witness disagreed that the police report regarding the accused’s statement was made to defend the PKR party and its president, Anwar.

However, Hisham agreed with the lawyer that there had been no riots or disturbances at the US Embassy since the police report was lodged.

Meanwhile, trader Halid Hamidi, 55, told the court that the video of Wan Muhammad Azri’s statement was uploaded to his (Halid’s) Facebook account on Nov 5 last year using his mobile phone.

“….I remember it appeared on my Facebook wall. I found that the video originated from TikTok, and I uploaded it to my Facebook account, Halid Hamidi,” said the second prosecution witness.

He said he uploaded the video because he was dissatisfied with the rising cost of essentials and was interested in its content.

On Jan 8, Wan Muhammad Azri pleaded not guilty to charges of incitement, alleging that he made provocative remarks on Facebook linking the government to being pro-Israel and pro-West.

He was accused of making remarks on the “Halid Hamidi (Halid Mat Kool)” Facebook page at noon on Nov 8 last year, which were seen by individuals at a condominium unit on Jalan Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang.

He is charged under Section 4 (1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, upon conviction.

The trial will resume tomorrow. – BK