KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) wants those behind an apparent smear campaign against the family of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, alleging they had links to a major Sabah drug cartel, to be arrested.
GRS information chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said police must identify the mastermind behind the smear campaign, which he said was aimed at humiliating and libelling Hajiji with baseless accusations that his son was involved with the drug cartel.
“The allegations on social media are not only false and wild, but are also an offence for defaming the good name of our Chief Minister’s family.
“It is disgusting and the act of spreading such falsehoods is an attempt to not only put the Chief Minister in a bad light, but also GRS and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) led by Hajiji,” Nizam said.
He said it was possible that the smear campaign could have been masterminded by a political party that was involved in trying to topple the GRS state government.
After failing to overthrow the state government, they had become so desperate as to fabricate stories in order to gain political support, he alleged.
“These irresponsible people should remember that people are wise, they will judge and will definitely reject the party that spreads libel,” he added.
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Hajiji’s son Mohd Reza Hajiji lodged a report at the Tuaran district police headquarters on Sunday. Police have said that an investigation is underway.
GRS is not the first party to be hit by social media allegations of links to a major drug cartel that was busted last Christmas.
Ten people, including a 40-year-old mastermind with a “Datuk” title and a patron of an NGO, were arrested for alleged involvement in the drug syndicate.
Social media posts quickly linked the Opposition Parti Warisan to the cartel.
Warisan officials dismissed the claims as “wild and baseless” and lodged several police reports over the social media posts.