Kota Kinabalu: A Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) International Relations student was released on bail following a social media post about the powers of Sabah’s Yang di-Pertua Negeri (TYT).
Sudirman Arshad
(pic), who is active with the student movement Suara Mahasiswa UMS, was held under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
Documents shared by the student movement showed that Sudirman, also known as Aiman, had been formally summoned under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593) by Papar Criminal Investigation Division, directing him to appear at the Kota Kinabalu Police Headquarters on Feb 9 in connection with a police report lodged on Nov 24, 2025.
The summons warned that failure to comply would constitute an offence under Section 174 of the Penal Code and that a court warrant would be sought to compel his attendance.
The investigation centred on a Nov 22, 2025 post by Suara Mahasiswa UMS which claimed that the TYT may be dismissed from office through the State Assembly, if supported by two-thirds.
Aiman claimed he reshared the post but was not the original author. He also said detention would not silence him.
Civil liberties group, Bersih Sabah, criticised Aiman’s detention, describing the investigation as an attempt to criminalise constitutionally-grounded discourse.
“Explaining constitutional facts is not a crime. In a constitutional democratic system, all positions are subject to legal provisions as a check and balance mechanism,” Bersih Sabah Vice-Chairman Fadhil Kasim said.
Bersih Sabah called on both the Madani government and the Sabah Government to cease what it described as political intimidation and immediate abolition of the Sedition Act 1948.
