Cover image via DATO' LOH Y.T
Court frees 'yellow balloon' girl because no one had been insulted
Dancer Bilqis Hijjas speaks to reporters outside the KL Magistrate Court.
Image via Yusof Mat Isa/MMO
In what can be termed as a major victory for the freedom of expression in the country, Magistrate Muhamad Faizal Ismail today, 1 July 2016, acquitted dancer Bilqis Hijjas of insulting behaviour for her act of dropping yellow balloons during an official event attended by PM Najib Razak and his wife in a mall in August last year.
[According to a report in The Malay Mail Online](http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dancer-walks-free-after-court-rules-yellow-balloon-at-pm-event-not-insultin), Magistrate Muhamad Faizal Ismail said the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against Bilqis, ruling that it had not shown that her action with the balloons amounted to "insulting behaviour".
Ismail pointed out that the definition in the dictionary by Malaysia's leading Malay-language authority *Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka* requires an alleged "insult" to be aimed or felt by a person, adding that no one had been insulted by Bilqis's actions.
'Balloon girl' will be charged in court today for her "insulting behaviour"
Image via The Ant Daily
In a statement, electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 condemned Bilqis' prosecution, calling it a punishment for a "ridiculous 'crime'". Chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah is also set to appear in court tomorrow as a show of solidarity for Bilqis.
Image via The Star / Asia News Network
31 AUG: During an event attended by PM Najib and his wife Rosmah, 7 yellow balloons — decorated with the words "Free media", "Democracy" and "Justice", among others — were dropped from the upper floors of the Pavillion shopping mall in Bukti Bintang
Image via Malaysiakini
Yellow is the official colour of the Bersih 4.0 rally, which, among others, called for Najib's resignation as the current Prime Minister for his handling of the scandal-ridden 1MDB case and for receiving an alleged "donation" of RM2.6 billion in his private bank accounts.
According to Anne Muhammad's report in Malaysiakini:
After the yellow balloons were dropped, the upscale mall's auxiliary police detained a 35-year-old performance artist, Bilqis Hijjas, who was later handed over to the Dang Wangi police for further action
The performance artist who released seven yellow balloons at an event attended by Prime Minister Najib was then questioned for insulting the Premier.
Bilqis Hijjas was detained and questioned by police at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters, under Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace or another offence.
**Those found guilty can be jailed for up to two years or fined or both.**
According to The Star, police are still investigating the motive behind Bilqis's action, claiming that it's "too early to reveal anything"
Image via Malaysiakini
Meanwhile, Lim Kit Siang has urged Najib to accept in good grace the intentions of Bilqis and have the police drop its investigation on her. The DAP Supremo said persecuting the 35-year-old over her act would leave a bad impression of Malaysia, especially for those attending the 16th International Anti-Corruption Convention.
Image via The Star
Over as social media, ordinary Malaysians have taken to Twitter to raise their voice in support of Bilqis and her act, while at the same time ridiculing Najib and the police for their act. For eg:
Image via Twitter
Image via Twitter
Image via Twitter
A few daring ones directly tagged the PM in their posts:
Image via Twitter
Image via Twitter
Image via Twitter
Others lamented at the thought of finding yellow balloons scary:
Image via Twitter
Image via Twitter
Image via Twitter
And this person asked if his act of flying yellow balloons would be considered a threat to national security too?
Image via DATO' LOH Y.T
