BALIK PULAU: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Balik Pulau Division has lodged a police report about an article linked to Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin published by an online portal that it said was inaccurate and fake.

Bersatu Balik Pulau Division secretary Rosmady Mat Abu lodged the report at the Barat Daya district police headquarters here at 2 pm.

He said the article's contents were aimed at discrediting Dr Radzi, malicious and tarnished the reputation of the entire Education Ministry (MOE).

"The article published on Nov 21 titled "Gempar! Bermula esok guru boleh dihukum sekiranya berleter terhadap murid" clearly is untrue, malicious and would affect the ministry's (MOE) reputation.

"Hopefully the police and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) can take serious action against the portal's owner for spreading fake news and cause public concern," he told reporters at a press conference here today.

He also urged Malaysians not to spread of believe unverified information and to refer to valid sources to avoid any misunderstanding.

The statement in question, which recently went viral on social media claiming that teachers would be punished if they nag or criticise students, had sparked various responses among Malaysians.

-- BERNAMA