A CARTOON of smashed piggy banks has puzzled the police enough to call in cartoonist Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar, to explain it to them.

Police questioned Zunar today over the cartoon which depicts piggy banks representing public trust funds and government agencies which were smashed to supposedly pay off debts incurred by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Zunar, who was questioned for an hour at the Commercial Crime Building in Kuala Lumpur, is being investigated under Section of 233 (1)(a) of the  Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Act 1998.

Section 223 criminalises the use of network facilities or network services by a person to transmit any communication deemed to be offensive and could cause annoyance to another person. 

The law also stipulates, upon conviction, the imposition of a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum one-year jail term or both, as well as a further fine of RM1,000 for every day the offence is continued after conviction. 

Zunar said his phone was confiscated after questioning, adding police asked him for explanations on the characters in his cartoon.

“I chose not to answer any of the questions,” he told reporters.

“I don’t want to explain the cartoon. Leave it to people to interpret,” he said.

The cartoon, uploaded on social media on August 9, showed smashed piggy banks, in the form of clay chickens labelled with government agencies Felda, Tabung Haji, Petronas, KWAP and KWSP.

A moustached man is depicted holding a sack labelled “Skandal 1MDB: Wa tau mana cari RM5 billion bayar IPIC” (1MDB Scandal: I know where to find the RM5 billion to pay IPIC). A diamond ring was also depicted in the cartoon.

Zunar said the questioning was a form of intimidation, adding police denied his request to view the police report lodged in August.

“Just because one person out of the over 30 million population made the police report, we cannot say this cartoon is wrong in the eyes of the law.

“You cannot turn your interpretation into law.”

Zunar has been charged or investigated for breaching six laws over the past two years, the most serious was being arrested in George Town, Penang for breaching the peace under the Penal Code and the Sedition Act. That arrest happened on November 26, 2016.

Zunar said he is being harassed for his work, which frequently lampoons the government and focuses on corruption issues.

“The problem is time. You have to come here for investigation. I think they expect me to be tired after dealing with all this.

“Maybe they think after all this, I will stop drawing,” he said.

“I won’t.” – November 29, 2017.