Corn vendor fined RM400 over racist sign, wife jailed for immigration offence

SEPANG, Feb 21 — A 64-year-old corn vendor who made headlines for putting up a racist sign was fined RM400, while his wife, an Indonesian national, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for immigration offences.

According to Malaysiakini the couple was charged in the Sepang Magistrate’s Court today and pleaded guilty to the charges.

Sepang district deputy police chief G Shan Gopal reportedly said the vendor was investigated under several laws, including Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, the Sedition Act, and the Communications and Multimedia Act, following a police report lodged after the sign went viral on social media.

“An arrest was made on Feb 17 at Jalan Labuhan Dagang-Nilai, Sepang. The individuals arrested were a 64-year-old man and his 52-year-old wife, an Indonesian citizen,” he said in a statement.

The deputy public prosecutor instructed the vendor to be charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, with an alternative charge under Section 268 for public nuisance. His wife was charged under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing valid travel documents.

The court imposed a RM400 fine on the vendor, while his wife was sentenced to three months in jail, the report said.

Shan urged the public to avoid actions or statements that could provoke religious or racial sensitivities, which may disrupt harmony in Malaysia’s multicultural society.

The racist sign, which drew public outrage, led to calls for harsher penalties, including from DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng and Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh.