Agong Archives | Tech ARP

Did Sultan Ibrahim bash the Arabisation of Malay culture on his first day as the 17th Agong of Malaysia?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : 17th Agong Bashed Arabisation Of Malay Culture On Day 1!

People are sharing this message on WhatsApp, claiming that the Sultan Ibrahim bashed the Arabisation of Malay culture on his first day as the 17th Agong of Malaysia!

The First Day of work DYMM YDP Agong gave a hard hitting no-holds barred royal “bashing” of the Arabidization of Malay culture. I suppose the right wing green wave politicians were squirming on their seats. Daulat Tuanku.

The message was shared with a link to an article (removed for reasons I will explain below) by The Coverage, with the title “Stop Trying To Be Like Arabs, Johor Ruler Tells Malays“.

Truth : 17th Agong Did Not Bash Arabisation Of Malay Culture On Day 1!

This appears to be yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Sultan Ibrahim Made Those Comments In 2016

First, let me point out that Sultan Ibrahim of Johor did call on Malays not to discard their unique culture, in favour of the Arab culture. However, he made those comments in March 2016 – almost 8 years ago!

If there are some of you who wish to be an Arab and practise Arab culture, and do not wish to follow our Malay customs and traditions, that is up to you. I also welcome you to live in Saudi Arabia.

That is your right but I believe there are Malays who are proud of the Malay culture. At least I am real and not a hypocrite and the people of Johor know who their ruler is.

Sultan Ibrahim also said that he preferred to use terms like Hari Raya, instead of Eid al-Fitr, as well as buka puasa, instead of iftar.

I have been using these Malay terms since I was a child and speaking to my late father for the past 50 years. I have no intention of replacing these terms with Arabic.

To be clear – Sultan Ibrahim did not make those comments on his first day as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. He made them almost 8 years earlier.

Fact #2 : The Coverage Article Was Originally From NST

It is unknown why anyone would actually share the article by The Coverage, since it was not written by them. It was originally written and posted by The Star on 24 March 2016, and syndicated by New Straits Times.

Even worse – The Coverage appeared to have posted it on 31 January 2018 – almost 2 years after it was originally posted by The Star and NST.

Instead of supporting websites that copy and paste other people’s work (and old news at that!), why not support journalism by sharing the real source of these articles?

Fact #3 : The Coverage Refreshed Their Article Today

It is unknown why people would start sharing the article from The Coverage, when it was not written by them, and was posted 5 years ago on 31 January 2018.

But interestingly, it looks like The Coverage updated their article today, likely replacing the original photo with one posted on the Sultan’s Facebook page on 22 November 2023.

Why would The Coverage update this 5 year-old article on Sultan Ibrahim’s first day as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia?

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Politics | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did the YDP Agong ask for Astro Awani to conduct an online poll, so he can use it to appoint Anwar Ibrahim as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Agong Wants To Use Online Poll To Appoint Anwar Ibrahim As PM!

People have been sharing this Astro Awani online poll and message on WhatsApp, and social media, claiming that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is going to use it to appoint Anwar Ibrahim as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia!

To all Malaysians, please vote so that DS Anwar Ibrahim is appointed as the 10th Prime Minister. This analysis was made at the request of YDP Agong. Please viral as soon as possible. Thank you.
https://undi.astroawani.com

It is sometimes sent with an audio file of someone claiming to be a member of Invoke Malaysian confirming that this Astro Awani poll is not fake.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WhatsApp-Audio-2022-11-21-at-18.27.45.mp3?_=1

Another audio file also claims that this is not fake news, but is a way to get the YDP Agong to appoint Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister, instead of Muhyiddin Yassin.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WhatsApp-Audio-2022-11-21-at-16.49.07.mp3?_=2

Truth : Agong Will NOT Use Online Poll To Install Anwar Ibrahim As PM!

That is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : First Group To Exceed 111 MPs Can Form Next Government

The 15th General Election (GE15) has resulted in a hung Parliament in Malaysia, with no political coalition or party winning a majority of Parliamentary seats.

Hence, the political parties in Malaysia are now anxiously negotiating and bartering with each other… because the first group with at least 112 Members of Parliament will form the next government.

The winning group will then present their new political coalition, and their prime minister candidate, to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, for his consent.

Fact #2 : Agong Appoints Prime Minister According To MPs, Not Online Poll

The Constitution of Malaysia is very clear about how the YDP Agong appoints the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Under Article 43 (2) (a), the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will appoint a Prime Minister who, in his judgement, is likely to command the confidence of the “majority of the members of [the House of Representative“.

In other words, the YDP Agong can only appoint Anwar Ibrahim as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia if he is confident that Anwar Ibrahim has the backing of the majority of the newly-elected Members of Parliament!

To be clear – the YDP Agong cannot appoint Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister merely on the basis of an online poll of random people on the Internet!

Fact #3 : Astro Awani Poll Asked For Prediction, Not Preference

I should also point out that the Astro Awani poll was NOT asking their viewers for their preference of Prime Minister. Everyone did that earlier, by voting for the political party of their choice during GE15.

If you read the poll carefully, you will see that Astro Awani was only asking its viewers for their “prediction” of who they think will end up becoming Prime Minister.

Instead of asking “Who do you want to be 10th PM?“, Astro Awani asked, “Who will be the 10th PM?”

Hung Parliament: Who will be the 10th PM?

Fact #4 : You Can Vote Multiple Times

You can only select one of the three options and pass a CAPTCHA test, but otherwise, the Astro Awani online poll has no restrictions.

Critically – you can vote as many times as you like. That makes the poll completely useless as a guide of the people’s sentiment.

In last two general elections, Malaysians had their fingers dipped in indelible ink, specifically to prevent anyone from voting more than once.

If voting online multiple times is allowed, then governments will be elected by those who have the most supporters clicking the fastest and the longest.

This Astro Awani online poll only serves as a gimmick to bring people into their website. Cynical observers may wonder if the fake message was created by Astro Awani to drive traffic to their website…

Fact #5 : Astro Awani Called It Fake News

On Sunday, 20 November 2022, Astro Awani issued a press statement, calling the viral message “fake news” and “irresponsible”, and denied any involvement.

Unfortunately, Astro Awani continue to leave the poll running. The traffic from the viral message must be really awesome.

They may or may not have created the fake viral message, but they are sure enjoying the traffic it brings!

Do the right thing, Astro Awani – delete the poll, and replace it with your press statement about this fake news instead.

Please WATCH OUT about such FAKE NEWS on WhatsApp and social media. They are designed to reduce voter confidence in the electoral process.

Regardless of what you may read or see on social media, please have faith in the electoral process, which is safeguarded by the Malaysian civil service and many volunteers.

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Cybersecurity | Fact Check | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Tech ARP

For the best in science + technology!

Tag Archives: Agong

Did 17th Agong Bash Arabisation Of Malay Culture On Day 1?!

Claim : 17th Agong Bashed Arabisation Of Malay Culture On Day 1!

Truth : 17th Agong Did Not Bash Arabisation Of Malay Culture On Day 1!

Please Support My Work!