COMMENT | On July 20, at about 10pm, a team from the D9 police unit from IPD Jalan Patani appeared in front of my house in Penang. There were about 10 of them and they surrounded my home before arresting me in the presence of my wife, my two-year-old son and my parents. My laptop and a brand-new phone were confiscated.

I was arrested following a report lodged against me at the Jalan Tun Razak police station in Kuala Lumpur, I believe by a police officer, on a Facebook article allegedly written by me titled, "Are we turning into a police state during the MCO period?" I am being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code, and Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communication Act 1998.

I condemn my arrest in the strongest term possible. It was totally uncalled for, an abuse of the criminal justice process and a waste of public resources. This is especially true when the said article was published on April 2, about three-and-a-half months ago.

The police only needed to call me to go see them if there is an investigation, and I would have immediately presented myself to assist in the investigation. It was unnecessary to arrest me at my home close to midnight and worse, in the presence of my infant son, which could possibly cause him to experience traumatic stress.

During the arrest, I was told that I would be taken to the Jalan Tun Razak police station in Kuala Lumpur for investigation. However, I was instead locked up at IPD Timur Laut, Penang. This had caused unnecessary confusion and trouble to my lawyers, who wanted to meet me and also be present for the remand hearing in court the following day. The police could have kept my lawyers and family informed about my whereabouts...