PETALING JAYA, AUG 3- Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has summoned Alvin Tan’s mother for questioning at 10am on Monday.
According to Tan, the MCMC did not state the reason for summoning his mother to their office.
“I don’t know why they want to disturb my mother,” said Tan in an e-mail sent to FMT
Tan’s mother will be accompanied by two lawyers to the MCMC office.
Last month, Tan and his girlfriend, Vivian Lee, were charged with making a seditious posting on their ‘Alvivi’ Facebook by uploading a photograph of themselves eating ‘bak kut teh’ (a pork dish) with the greeting ‘ Selamat Berbuka Puasa with bak kut teh together with the ‘halal’ logo.
They each face a fine of up to RM5,000, jail of up to three years, or both, and jail of up to five years each.
Tan and Lee are also accused displaying pornographic pictures between July 6 and 7 at Kompleks Mutiara, Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.
Conviction on the second charge will result in them facing a fine of between RM10,000 and RM50,000 or jail of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
The couple also faces a third charge of causing religious enmity between people of different faiths. Under this section, they face jail terms of between two and five years, if convicted.
MCMC: Only for clarification
Meanwhile, when contacted an MCMC official said that Alvin’s mother was being summoned only for clarification purposes.
According to the official, it was important for the government agency to get confirmation from the mother before the matter was brought to court.
“We will only ask general questions. We want the mother to clarify some information for us regarding Alvin.
“This is so that when the matter is brought to court, we won’t have any problems with prosecutors wanting more details. That is all,” the official said.
When asked about Tan’s partner, the MCMC officer said that the same method would be undertaken in Johor, since her family is staying there.
“Most probably next week or after Hari Raya. We are not sure about the exact date,” he said briefly.
