PETALING JAYA: An investigation will be launched into the news portal that incurred the displeasure of the Pahang sultan, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, says communications minister Fahmi Fadzil.
According to Bernama, Fahmi said the communications ministry viewed Al-Sultan Abdullah’s statement with gravity and assured that appropriate action would be taken against the news portal in question.
“This also serves as a reminder to all parties, regardless of whether they are electronic or print media, portals, or social media platforms, to never take lightly issues related to the 3Rs (religion, race and royalty),” he was quoted as saying.
Yesterday, Al-Sultan Abdullah expressed regret and disappointment over a news report which misrepresented his speech.
The sultan said he considered the report defamatory, and that it could have negative implications that could spark disharmony.
“His Royal Highness stressed that his speech at the Chenor Agricultural Academy in Maran was not what was reported by the news portal,” said a statement issued by the comptroller of the royal household, Major General Zahari Yahya.
The palace statement was in response to an article with the headline “Sultan Pahang beri amaran terhadap amalan bawaan PAS” (Pahang Sultan warns against PAS practices) published on March 29.
While neither Al-Sultan Abdullah nor Fahmi explicitly named the portal, the article was published on Harapan Daily, a pro-Pakatan Harapan news portal.
Harapan Daily subsequently retracted the article and issued an apology for the error.
