The National Patriots Association (Patriot) has lodged a police report over alleged fake news that involved its president Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji.
It said the fake news was in the form of an image created using a website that allows users to create their own “breaking news”, which alleged that Arshad had “seru rakyat tolak bantuan” (urged the people to reject aid).
“The defamatory words against Gen Arshad has been widely circulated in the social media on March 31,2020, by someone using the name, Salmah Salam.
“The police have assured us that investigation will be carried out. Once the culprit or culprits are identified, we will not hesitate to take legal action,” its director of public communications Capt Dr Wong Ang Peng (Rtd) said in a statement on Wednesday (April 1).
Dr Wong claimed that there were people trying to twist their media statements to give a bad image to the president and the association, citing an example of a statement on March 28, where they urged the government to indicate clearly the source of funds for the RM250 billion stimulus package.
“Our statement was clear and straightforward, pointing out shortcomings of the announced RM 250 billion package.
“Deceitful twisting our media statement to make us look bad and instigating the people to hate us are an act of cowardice. Those responsible are also of low intellect incapable of engaging us in a civilised discourse. They are the trash of society,” he said.