The IGP announced today that the Jelutong lawmaker should turn himself in over his insensitive remarks on Twitter. Of course, we are referring to Jeff's "adios" tweet over the death of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Haron Din.
Of course, Jeff has his defence that somehow saying "adios" is somehow polite. Some of his defenders go so far as to linguistically link the phrase to Greek, for some awkward reason, and go so far by using a tabloid front cover on the funeral of Princess Diana.
Look, the Spanish formally offer their condolences by saying "mi mas sentido pesame", with "adios" more akin to the saying of Antonio Banderas before shooting a drug lord before walking off into a sunset.
Had anyone actually bothered to ask someone from Spain, or anyone who took it as a third language, they would be able to put this issue aside.
Either way, it does not warrant the actions of police intimidation. He was rude, but that is not a crime.
Thus, the question now would be on Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the Royal Malaysian Police - just what exactly is the charge?
It isn't an insult to Islam for someone to use the wrong phrase in offering condolences.
Meanwhile, Ali Tinju is also being probed for his death threat against Bersih's Maria Chin Abdullah, which is rational.
He's threatening to cause bodily harm, Jeff is just an insensitive blowhard who obviously is not fluent in Spanish.
It just goes to show the person is just not worldly enough to actually filter his words. And quite honestly, I believe the prevalence of gaffes among Malaysian politicians is not exactly news - be it the DAP or even UMNO.
Of course, I can't say the same for some other commenters. And while insulting a religion (any religion) is legally wrong, there seems to be bias in being totally indifferent when it happens to any other than Islam, wouldn't you say?
As much I expect a tit-for-tat over the comments when the next politician dies, again, it isn't a crime. The police should not be bothered to act against political correctness and moronic statements because Malaysians by and large should grow up and show some maturity.
But then again, that would be too much to expect from a society that thrives on pseudoscience, to the point that fresh beef reacting to salt is somehow seen as a miracle of Allah by some on social media.
We should not police rudeness, it is part and parcel of the freedom of expression and speech. We can condemn them, or in the case of politicians - choose not to vote for them or even call on the political party to censure them and remove them from the ballot in the next general election.
It is not for the police or Khalid to take action. The police is not supposed to police emotions. They are supposed to maintain order and stop people from causing bodily harm and overreacting to the point of violence.
But then again, those would apply to a mature society - which we are obviously lacking.
* Hafidz Baharom is a social observer and a regular contributor. Views expressed are personally his and do not necessarily reflect those of Astro AWANI.
Hafidz Baharom
Mon Sep 19 2016
Jeff (pic) is just an insensitive blowhard who obviously is not fluent in Spanish, says Hafidz.
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
AI tidak dapat ganti guru
Menteri Pendidikan Rwanda, Gaspard Twagirayezu berkata kepesatan teknologi AI dalam pendidikan tidak dapat menggantikan guru malah membantu guru dalam menyediakan bahan pengajaran yang bermanfaat kepada pelajar.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 28 April 2024.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia perlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi ke Orde Baharu - Menteri Luar Arab Saudi
Menteri Luar Negeri Arab Saudi, Putera Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud berkata dunia memerlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi daripada Orde Dunia Lama kepada Orde Baharu. Jelasnya, persaingan ini akan memberi manfaat dalam bentuk kos pengeluaran lebih rendah, perkembangan inovasi dan pelaburan lebih baik. #MesyuaratKhasWEF #WEF