Equanimity: Don't punish based on hearsay, say analysts

The public should know the difference between a real court and a 'social media court' in regard to the South Jakarta District Court’s decision to rule as unlawful, the seizure of luxury yacht, Equanimity, in Bali.

Some analysts, when asked for their views on the matter, concurred that the public should not punish someone based solely on information disseminated in the social media, which might not be true and accurate.

On the seizure of the Equanimity, they said the information was mainly unverified and based on hearsay.

On April 17, Justice Ratmoho ordered the Indonesian police to return the vessel to its owner, Equanimity (Cayman) Ltd Islands, which had filed the case in court.

The yacht, linked to controversial tycoon Jho Low, was seized on Feb 28, and continues to be the target of purported fake news, including claims that a huge amount of cash was found on board.

Universiti Teknologi Mara Communication and Media Studies Faculty senior lecturer Assoc Prof Ismail Sualman said the people should realise that the case was sensationalised by the opposition as a ruse to influence them.

“With proof stating there is no case against the yacht, it is clear the allegations and claims by the opposition were only intended to disparage.

“There is no fact at all; the people must open their eyes to the true colour of the opposition which wants to topple the government and leaders in a way that I consider abhorrent,” he told Bernama today.

Ismail said the newly enforced Anti-Fake News Act 2018 may be used if the opposition continued to link the yacht with 1MDB.

“This is because there was no fact in the judgment that the yacht had been purchased using funds from 1MDB,” he said.

The Anti-Fake News Act 2018, which was passed by the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara earlier this month, and gazetted on April 11, among others, would not compromise on fake news that could jeopardise public order or national security.

Caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak said the act was aimed at protecting the public from the consequences, as well as to prevent the spread of fake news.

Universiti Utara Malaysia Institute for Malaysian Political Analysis (Mapan) director Kamarul Zaman Yusoff said political parties, as well as the general public, should not indiscriminately hurl unsubstantiated accusations against anyone and must respect the law.

He described the opposition’s action to sensationalise the seizure of the yacht and using it as political ammunition to attack the government while the case was then pending, as impetuous.

“They should feel shameful. I won’t be surprised if they next accuse the Indonesian court of accepting ‘dedak’ to release the yacht," he said.

Malaysian Council of Former Elected Representatives president Abdul Aziz Rahman said certain quarters exploited the issue for political interest.

"We should not make any assumption particularly if it is a court case. We should wait for the court’s decision,” he added.

-- Bernama