Rayer arrested - likely to be charged with sedition tomorrow

Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer was arrested today and is expected to be charged with sedition tomorrow over his "celaka Umno" remark which he made at the Penang state assembly last month.

Rayer surrendered himself to the police at the Northeast district headquarters at Jalan Patani at about 3.30pm. He was accompanied by state housing exco Jagdeep Singh Deo and lawyer S. Raveentharan.

District police chief assistant commissioner Mior Faridalatrash Wahid said Rayer will be charged at the Sessions Court tomorrow for sedition over what he said in the state assembly.

"There is no immunity even if he said it in the assembly. There is no immunity if it involves sedition," he said.
Mior on June 11 told The Malaysian Insider that Rayer was probed under Section 4A (1) of the Election Offences Act, which states that it is an offence to promote ill-will or hostility.

Rayer courted controversy on May 20 when he uttered the words “celaka Umno” in the House during the state assembly, which the next day led to a protest by a group of Umno Youth members outside the assembly building.

The protestors, who identified themselves as Umno Youth members, got rowdy and 12 people reportedly broke through the main gate and entered the House, which is a restricted area, looking for Rayer.

The intrusion into the House, which was the first incident of its kind ever seen in the country, sparked a huge outcry, and Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno faced heavy criticism.

The situation worsened when Federal Territory Umno Youth members protested outside the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on May 22. Some of the protestors were heard threatening to burn down the DAP headquarters.

As the DAP and BN traded barbs over the controversy, police reports were also lodged against Rayer after he was alleged to have repeated the same remarks in ceramah during the Bukit Gelugor by-election outside the House, where he enjoyed no immunity as a legislator.

Mior also said 14 people will also be charged tomorrow at the George Town's Magistrate's Court under Section 448 of the Penal Code for trespassing into the state assembly building. – June 18, 2014.

- The Malaysian Insider -