Ditch 'fake news poster boy' Musa Hassan, Kit Siang tells UiTM

Editor's note: Malaysiakini has been informed that Musa Hasan is no longer with UiTM. The error is regretted.

Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang has called on Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to dismiss former IGP Musa Hassan from his role as a lecturer after the latter has repeatedly accused DAP of espousing communist beliefs.

"The former IGP has become a 'poster boy' not only for media illiteracy but also for lies, fake news and hate speech," said Lim in a statement today.

"UiTM should dismiss (him) as a lecturer at its Centre of Media and Information Warfare Studies (CMIWS) if it aspires to be a centre of excellence for its information warfare centre," he added.

Last week, Musa claimed during a lecture at (UiTM) that DAP was attempting to revive the communist ideology.

The event, entitled “The Hat Yai Peace Accord 1989: Did the CPM surrender?” was broadcast live on Facebook.

"UiTM’s CIMWS should be one of the agencies that should be in the forefront to promote media literacy in Malaysia with the upsurge of lies, fake news and hate speech to incite inter-racial and inter-religious polarisation and conflict in Malaysia so that all Malaysians can differentiate fact from misinformation and disinformation and truth from lies," said Lim.

Citing other examples of Musa's ignorance, Lim pointed out that last October, Musa made himself a joke in the cyber world when he demonstrated his media illiteracy by showing that he did not know that The Onion website was a satirical news site.

Lim claimed that when Musa alleges that DAP has an agenda to rewrite history by reviving the communist ideology, he is indirectly denigrating the Special Branch of the police force as a useless and incompetent outfit, when in fact it is one of the best of its kind in the world.

"Over the past five decades, the Special Branch could not find any connection of DAP with the communist movement, but Musa, who was the eighth IGP from 2006 – 2010, now alleges that DAP wants to revive the communist ideology!"

Lim called the claims: "Completely baseless, untrue and a total figment of Musa’s imagination."

Yesterday, DAP Youth lodged police reports against Musa in multiple locations including Perak, Melaka and Penang, with the movement's chief Howard Lee saying Musa had misused his position as the former top cop for political purposes.