Trader Zaidi Mat Sah pleaded guilty after the sedition charge was read before magistrate Hazeelia Muhammad in the Johor Bahru magistrates’ court.

He faces six months in prison if he fails to pay the fine.

He was charged with making the posting which was seditious, disrespected the Agong, and tarnished the image of the royal institution at about 5.45am on Dec 29 at a house in Taman Sutera, Johor Bahru.

The charge was framed under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act, which provides for up to three years’ jail, a maximum fine of RM5,000, or both.

Johor prosecution director Abdul Ghafar Abd Latif prosecuted while the accused was unrepresented.

Zaidi had sought a lighter sentence from the court after pleading guilty, saying he only operated a roadside food stall and had to look after his family, including his elderly mother and an autistic child.

He also said he had merely copied and pasted the sentence in his posting and that he was not aware it touched on the 3Rs of race, religion, and royalty.