MCMC warns #SiBodohKauDengarSini parody post contains 'false info'

A parody poster warning netizens not to use the hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini (Listen here, idiot) has been denounced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The commission said it had not issued the poster, which uses the MCMC name and logo, and warned that it contained false information.

"The poster which has spread on social media contained fake offences which were made up covering the aspects of punishment and the act which will be used on those who violate the warning.

"The MCMC will proceed with necessary action to curb the spread of false information," it said in a statement today.

The fake poster was created by Bawangmana, a parody news Twitter account.

The poster, which is discernibly a parody, contains graphic designer Fahmi Reza's caricature of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as a clown.

It also jokingly warns users that using the hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini is punishable under "Section 109" of the "Muhyiddin Has No Majority Act 2021" and can be punished by a fine not exceeding RM35 million or up to one year in quarantine, or both.

Section 109 is a reference to how many MPs are left on the Perikatan Nasional Plus side after two Umno lawmakers withdrew support from the government, leaving Muhyiddin without a majority in Parliament.

RM35 million, meanwhile, refers to the controversial allocation to build three community halls in the prime minister's Pagoh constituency.

The hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini went viral on Monday and originated from frustration at operating hours for food outlets during the second movement control order.

It has since been a vehicle for netizens to express their displeasure with the government over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.