PKR lawmaker Sivarasa Rasiah has been slammed for sharing a photo of a fake Time magazine cover featuring Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak through his Facebook account.
Pro-BN blogger Lim Sian See responded to Sivarasa's fake magazine cover with another fake Time magazine cover, this time featuring the Subang MP.
“It is true that 1MDB is listed in an article in Time magazine "scandals", but Najib's face was not on Time as per that fake cover.
“Stop spreading fake covers as anyone can do one. As a Member of Parliament, you must be more responsible. YB must issue public apology on your page for being such a mangkuk (idiot).
“But if you were born with such mangkukness and can't apologise for that, at least apologise for being gullible and spreading fake stuff,” Lim said in a Facebook posting today.
The fake cover shared by Sivarasa this morning features a portrait of Najib, alongside text that, among others, reads “Global corruption explained”, and “Number 2 on the most corrupt list”.
In his posting, Sivarasa wrote, “PM Najib Razak has made the headlines once again! For the wrong reason, sadly.
“This is a very serious title, rank or even accusation directed towards him. Will he now 'claim' to sue Time magazine?”
The purported Time magazine cover does not appear anywhere on the magazine's official website, including its magazine cover archives.
The Subang MP's Facebook post is accompanied with a link to a March 17 Time magazine article titled, 'These five facts explain the state of global corruption'.
While Malaysia does appear second on the article where Najib's corruption scandal is highlighted, the list does not seem to be a ranking.
Instead, the list talks about corruption scandals in Brazil, Malaysia, South Africa, China and Russia, and how scandals lend insight into the politics of each country.
Among the politicians who have shared the fake Time magazine cover are Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming, on his Facebook account, and Pakatan Harapan chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah, on his Twitter account.
The other fake Time cover featuring Sivarasa names him as 'No one: On the mangkuk Pakatan MP list' and accuses him of being an 'MP who likes to spread fake Time magazine covers'.
Lim's posting is accompanied with the words, “Pakatan MP Sivarasa should stop spreading fake Time magazine cover. Anyone can make fake Time covers.”
Sivarasa Rasiah later said that he had no idea it was fake when he shared it on social media this morning.
"I honestly didn't know. I am taking down the post now," he told The Star Online .
