Kota Kinabalu: Warisan's Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong has dismissed a fake obituary bearing his name that has been circulating on WhatsApp, saying he is alive, safe and in good health.
Chong said the incident came to light after his wife received numerous missed calls from his mother, who became alarmed after seeing the fabricated obituary claiming he had died.
He said the fake image also misused the name of his Lahad Datu party colleague, Shen Zhi Guang, by placing it on a funeral wreath to make the obituary appear authentic, causing distress to his family and dragging an innocent friend into the matter.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Chong described the act as an unhealthy political practice, saying politics should never involve falsely announcing another person's death, misusing other people's names or spreading fake information to attack political opponents.
He urged those responsible to stop such actions and called on the public not to circulate the image, saying political competition should never come at the expense of humanity, morality or the well-being of others.