A woman known as ‘Mak Cik Kemboja’ was fined RM40,000 by the Melaka Sessions Court after pleading guilty to two charges of insulting Malays in November last year.
Her son, who was also charged, pleaded guilty but was released on a good behavior bond of RM10,000, as he is still pursuing his studies at the University of Reading, United Kingdom.
The accused, Mariyah Yaakob, 48, and Ezuan Hafsham Mohd Hisyam, 23, pleaded guilty immediately after the charges were read to them before Judge Azaraorni Abd Rahman, Sinar Harian reported.
According to the charges, Mariyah was accused of making statements with the intent to incite Malays to commit offenses against other races.
The act was carried out via a video recording on the TikTok application and was viewed at a house in Bukit Piatu, Kampung Musai, Melaka, at 6 p.m. on November 16, 2023.
The prosecution against the single mother of three was conducted under Section 505 of the Penal Code, which provides for a penalty of up to two years imprisonment or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Meanwhile, her son, who is also the director of Mariyah Holding, was charged with knowingly using the TikTok application at the same address to create and initiate the communication of a video featuring his mother making the offensive statements between November 14 and 16, 2023.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and is punishable under Section 233(3) of the same act, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to one year or both, as well as an additional fine of RM1,000 for each day the offense continues after conviction.
Melaka Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Sazali Omar, during proceedings, proposed an appropriate sentence for both accused as their actions seriously touched on sensitive 3R (race, religion, royalty) issues.
He stated that while both had apologized to Malaysians on social media, it was not a sufficient reason to reduce their sentences.
The defense lawyer for both accused, Kamal Hisham Jaafar, in his mitigation, requested leniency, citing that their guilty plea had saved the court’s time.
In his arguments, Kamal Hisham stated that the public apology they had made on social media proved they were genuinely remorseful and would not repeat their actions.
Azaraorni ordered Mariyah to pay a fine of RM40,000 or face six months in prison if the fine was not paid.
Mariyah, who was dressed in green, was later seen paying the fine after the sentence was handed down.
Previously, a video went viral on social media showing a woman who claimed to be of Cambodian origin but had been residing in Malaysia for a long time. She was conducting a live stream at a Muslim clothing store.
She alleged that Cambodians were naturally skilled and diligent in business compared to Malays, whom she described as lazy. However, at the end of the video, she stated that she was only joking and apologized, followed by another apology in a separate post.
