M'sian TikToker arrested after falsely claiming Agong dined with Anwar in 'non-halal' Chinese restaurant

A Malaysian man, believed to be a TikTok user, has been arrested after casting aspersions on Malaysia’s king, his heir, and the prime minister.

A king, a prince, and a prime minister walk into a restaurant

On Dec. 12, the Malaysian Agong (king) and Sultan of Johor, Ibrahim, hosted Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to lunch, along with his son and heir, Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) Ismail, and Johor Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

But what raised eyebrows appeared to be the fact that the lunch was being held in a Chinese restaurant.

Many online commentators and some media outlets saw the meeting and meal as a celebration of Malaysia's multicultural roots, and deliberate signalling in favour of those roots by the Agong.

Focus Malaysia reported the gamut of opinions, noting that it encompassed a range, from praising the Agong for humbly sitting on plastic chairs, to his patronage of restaurants from a different ethnic group.

Some comments were more cynical, suggesting that it was a ploy to attract more investment from China or to contrast with more sectarian politicians who played up the various divisions amongst Malaysians for political purposes.

Some examples of the latter questioned why the Agong had not patronised a Malay restaurant, as the type of food being sold there was Asam Pedas, a dish of Malay origin.

Influencer complaints

But perhaps the most pointed of the critiques were given voice by Tiktoker Rayyan Wong, who alleged that the Agong and PM had patronised a restaurant that was not halal.

Wong is a religious influencer on social media, having publicly converted to Islam, and coming from a Chinese background.

He has been labelled the "young Ustaz" and won the 2024 PAS Youth Chief Award, awarded by the Islamist political party.

Focus Malaysia has covered the incident in detail, tracking Wong’s initial TikTok post which chided the TMJ and PM for supposedly patronising a non-halal restaurant, suggesting that they had set a poor example for other Muslim Malaysians.

He even suggested that a sign on the restaurant's wall had indicated that the restaurant was non-halal.

Mistranslation

However, social media users began to quickly push back against the narrative, with one saying that the Chinese language sign, far from saying the restaurant was non-halal, was simply communicating a wish for the restaurant to have a successful and prosperous business.

It was suggested that Wong had essentially been clout chasing, as he had been educated in a Chinese medium school and should have been able to read the text on the restaurant's wall.

Others criticised Wong’s implication that Agong would not have known what restaurant he had dined in.

This critique was bolstered by the revelation in The Star that Ibrahim has been a regular patron of the establishment over several decades, back when he was the crown prince of Johor.

Wong reacted to the criticism by deleting his initial post and issuing an apology.

He even acknowledged his mistake, saying that he had failed to properly check on the restaurant and that he had since discovered that the restaurant was in fact halal certified.

But it appears to not have been enough.

Insulting statements

On Dec. 19, many Malaysian outlets, including Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that a man had been arrested for making alleged insulting statements targeting the royal institution and prime minister.

The police report was filed about a TikTok user with the handle @ryanwong_5845, which is the handle that Wong used.

Malaysia’s laws do not include a formal lese majeste law, unlike neighbouring Thailand, but despite this, the country has sufficient legal powers to take action against those who are deemed to insult the royal institution.

The government of Anwar Ibrahim has also vigorously enforced its ring-fencing of the “Three Rs” as a topic of discussion, Race, Religion, and Royalty.

Malaysia’s Inspector-General Razarudin Husain told reporters that a 22-year-old man had been arrested in Johor after someone had reported him to the police.

The suspect's mobile phone was seized, and an investigation into his posts has begun.

Just like the initial post had attracted detractors, the arrest has attracted defenders.

World of Buzz reports that some online commenters had said that Wong had merely been “spilling truths”, although it should be noted, that Wong has admitted that he was objectively wrong.

Top image via @ryanwong_5845/TikTok &  HRH Crown Prince of Johor/Facebook