By Clara Chooi
Assistant News Editor
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Johor police have continued to block all visits to Ahmad Abd Jalil, who was arrested on Friday for allegedly insulting the Sultan of Johor, but have also assured the man’s family that he would not be taken to the palace to issue an apology.
In an SMS statement to The Malaysian Insider last night, Ahmad’s father, Abd Jalil Abd Rahman, expressed relief at the assurance despite adding that he hoped the police would hold true to their word.
“Hopefully, he would honour his words,” the 60-year-old government retiree said in the text message, referring to one Asst Comm Azizan whom he had met at noon yesterday at the Johor police contingent headquarters in Johor Baru.
Abd Jalil said ACP Azizan had also given his word that Ahmad is in good health, despite prohibiting the man from seeing any of his relatives.
The worried father explained that this was “standard procedure”, according to the police officer.
“We met ACP Azizan at IPK Johor. He is ASP Tan’s boss (investigating officer for Ahmad).
“Though he disallowed us 2C Ahmad (due2 std practice), he did assure us of no physical handling inflicted on Ahmad.
“He also asserted that, there is NO possibility of Ahmad be sent 2 d palac since NO outside party were involved in d case,” Abd Jalil wrote in his text message.
He said Ahmad’s three-day remand will expire today but added he was not certain if the order would be extended.
Abd Jalil and Ahmad’s family members had yesterday expressed fear that the 27-year-old quantity surveyor would be hauled to the palace and made to personally apologise to the Johor Sultan for his allegedly offensive remarks.
The family had alleged of horror stories regarding the Johor royal house and said they would prefer if Ahmad was brought to court to issue the apology.
Ahmad is being investigated under section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, believed to be over allegedly seditious remarks he had made against the Johor Sultan on his Facebook page.
He was picked up from his office in Cheras here at around 8pm on Friday by several plainclothes policemen before he was taken to the Wangsa Maju police station for questioning.
According to Ahmad’s lawyer Mohd Zakwan Adenan, Ahmad was at first not informed of his offence except that he was allegedly being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948.
“They said they wanted to charge him under the Sedition Act for remarks he made on Facebook but when we asked the police which statement they were referring to, they could not answer,” he told The Malaysian Insider on Saturday.
Section 4(1) stipulates that any person who utters, prints or publishes any seditious words, on conviction, would be liable for a first offence to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both.
After interrogating him for several hours at the Wangsa Maju police station, the police raided Ahmad’s parents’ house in Damansara Damai before taking the man with them to Johor early Saturday morning.
At 3pm on Saturday, Ahmad was brought before a Johor magistrate by the police to obtain a three-day remand order.
