Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Alhaque, said an inspector had asked him to be present at the Padang Terap district police headquarters on May 2.
He was told he was being probed under Section 505 (c) of the Penal Code for making statements conducive to public mischief with intent to incite the community to cause them to commit an offence against any other communities, and also under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for abuse of network services.
Zunar said he stood by what he had drawn as part of his right to comment, especially when it concerned his home state of Kedah.
He said he felt the dropping of the Thaipusam holiday in the state was a “bruise” on the state’s harmonious social fabric.
“It has never happened in Kedah’s history. Last time, in my kampung, we all lived in harmony. Why would you want to disturb this peaceful life we have had for years?” the native of Kampung Kilang Kecik, Pendang, told FMT.
Zunar said his caricature was open to interpretation and the feelings of people varied. He said people were free to analyse his caricatures, but they could not proclaim their views to be the law.
“Why don’t they go after those who interpret my cartoons in a bad light?”
On Jan 25, Sanusi’s senior special assistant Nurul Amin Hamid lodged a police report against Zunar, claiming the cartoon had slandered his boss over the move to cancel this year’s Thaipusam holiday. He had said it was unfair and uncalled for.
The caricature depicts a larger-than-life Sanusi with a butcher’s knife chopping a round table in the middle, shocking the people of various races around it. The words “Tiada cuti Thaipusam” is written on the side of the knife, accompanied by a blurb: “Kedahans lived peacefully before he (Sanusi) came.”
Earlier this year, Sanusi announced there would be no public holiday declared for Thaipusam this year, given the movement control order.
This sparked a row among Indian political leaders from both sides of the political divide as well as rights groups who said it was an ignorant move that could affect the harmony among races enjoyed by the country all this while.