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A post on X (formerly Twitter) by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has drawn the ire of Malaysians netizens after he used the Malay term “melalak” to describe “yelling” in an allegedly condescending manner.
“Yelling ‘no action’ does not make it the truth. This country is governed by laws, not emotions and speculations in the comments section,” Anwar wrote.
The context of which prompted the post was not explicitly stated, although many on social media tied it to a recent controversy involving matters of religious sensitivity.
Malaysians have been criticising the government with regard to a Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) student who posted a picture on social media last week which expressed gross disrespect towards Islam and Muslims.
The student was arrested on 25 February and is currently under police remand until Tuesday, 3 March 2026, while investigations are ongoing.
Melalak “tiada tindakan” tidak menjadikannya benar. Negara ini ditadbir oleh undang-undang, bukan emosi dan spekulasi di ruangan komen.
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) February 28, 2026
Selamat berbuka semua!
Allegations of government not taking action is unfounded, says Anwar
The Prime Minister said that allegations of the government failing to act over the Qur’an desecration incident are unfounded.
According to Bernama, he stressed that in a country that upholds the rule of law, action must be guided by due legal process rather than emotional pressure or perceptions on social media.
Anwar urged all parties to fully leave the matter to the authorities to refrain from making speculation or statements that could undermine public harmony.
Meanwhile, PKR’s youth wing Angkatan Muda Keadilan published a statement saying the context behind the Prime Minister’s “melalak” remark needs to be understood, and not used to manipulate “narrow politics”.
Akmal and Afnan: “Better to yell in defense of the Qur’an than yell lies”
Anwar’s “melalak” remark also sparked criticism from PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden, who made references to Anwar’s reformation era when he was the opposition.
“Yelling to defend the Qur’an is much more noble than yelling lies while rolling on the street for wanting to become the Prime Minister,” said Afnan.
Meanwhile, UMNO Youth chief Dr. Akmal Saleh also made a statement of similar tone that was a tad harsher.
“Better to yell in defence of the religion rather than talk big but it’s all lies,” Akmal said, ending the statement with the word “bodoh” (stupid).
Last week, a 21-year-old student enrolled in UMPSA posted a photo on social media which showed a foot stepping on a Qur’an.
It is understood that the act stemmed from a long-standing argument between him and another social media user over matters of religion.
The other individual, who has deactivated his social media accounts, had posted a photo of a foot stepping on a crucifix. He claimed that the picture was taken off the internet, and was not his own foot on the religious symbol.
Another Qur’an-stepping incident reported
Berita Harian reported that there has been another incident where a Qur’an was desecrated the same way.
A video showing an individual stomping the holy book went viral on TikTok recently, sparking anger from the public once again.
The owner of the video has since deactivated his account, although copies of the video are still circulating on social media.
Stepping on a Qur’an and posting it on social media is punishable under Section 295 of the Penal Code for insulting a religion.
It also violates Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 over misuse of network facilities or service facilities to communicate messages that are hurtful, insulting, threatening, and harrasing to others, including offensive content.
The penalty for this, if found guilty, is a prison term of up to two years, a fine not exceeding RM500,000, or both.
READ MORE: Vile Post On Threads Lands Pahang University Student A “Date” With Cops
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