Catholic lawyers’ society to lodge police report over Umno leader’s joke

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society of Kuala Lumpur (CLS) has announced its intention to file a police report following remarks made by Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said. These remarks, which included a sexual joke about the clergy, have been deemed demeaning and disrespectful by the society. CLS claims that Noorazli's joke, which contained a false reference to the Bible, has the potential to attract scrutiny under laws concerning sedition and religious offences due to its capability to incite disharmony and disrespect towards a religious community.

The society also notes that the remarks may violate Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which criminalises the improper use of network facilities or services to transmit obscene, indecent, false, menacing, or offensive content with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass another person. The joke in question was told at the Umno general assembly last Saturday, and it purported to quote Psalm 129 in the Bible, a chapter that does not contain such content.

CLS emphasizes that Noorazli's attribution is not only factually incorrect but also a distortion of religious scripture, causing offense to the Catholic community and the broader Christian faith. The society further asserts that Noorazli's remarks were inappropriate and unbecoming of an elected representative or party leader, given the context of a large public audience at a national political assembly.

The CLS calls for authorities to investigate the matter and for Noorazli to retract his statement, issue a full apology to the Catholic community, and refrain from employing religious texts or figures as material for political rhetoric or humor.