(Dec 4): The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is investigating the man behind LetakJawatan, a Facebook page demanding Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation.

LetakJawatan administrator Joe Haidy Sulaiman, 45, is being investigated under Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998, which makes it an offence to publish indecent, obscene, false, menacing, or offensive materials to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person.

Joe Haidy told The Malaysian Insider he was summoned to the Internet regulator’s headquarters for questioning on Tuesday and that police later followed him home and seized his laptop and modem.

“I was questioned for about three hours for allegedly defaming Najib on LetakJawatan,” he said.

He said the defamatory statement in question was a blog post he shared on LetakJawatan, claiming that Najib had once been caught for khalwat (close proximity) with popular actress Ziana Zain.

Joe Haidy confirmed that he was the writer of the blog post.

But he said the authorities were only interested after he sent an email to Najib two weeks earlier, conveying the concerns of his Facebook followers.

“They have been trying to track me down for the past week, going to all the places that I used to live to find me.

“In the end, they got my phone number and called me up for questioning.”

Joe Haidy said he has not left his house since that day, as he now feared for his life.

He said he has received threatening Facebook messages on LetakJawatan, and his wife reported seeing a silver Proton Waja circling their house on two separate nights.

“She’s really worried about my safety, because LetakJawatan has about 200,000 followers, and with the situation now in the country, anything might happen to me.”

An MCMC spokesperson confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that it was investigating Joe Haidy over a blog he was managing.

If found guilty, Joe Haidy could be fined up to RM50,000 or be imprisoned up to a year, or both.

He could also be liable to a further fine of RM1,000 daily if the offence is continued after conviction. – The Malaysian Insider