Kit Siang authorises lawyers to file RM200 million  - RM300 million defamation suit against Utusan Malaysia next Tuesday

(Petaling Jaya, Friday): I have authorised my lawyers to file a  RM200 million to RM300 million defamation suit against Utusan Malaysia next Tuesday for its news report last Saturday, 13th February 1999, alleging that I am not patriotic.  The final figure would be settled early next week.

I am instituting the mega million-ringgit defamation suit against Utusan Malaysia for four reasons:

· To redeem my honour, character, integrity and reputation as it had been besmirched by Utusan Malaysia when it reported that I was "not patriotic", which is akin to suggesting that I am  a traitor to the nation and a person no Malaysian should trust.
 

• To nip in the bud the campaign of dirty media tactics against the Opposition by mass media owned and controlled by Barisan Nasional component parties, which seems to be starting earlier this time as compared to  previous general elections.
• To have an opportunity to spotlight the failure of the Malaysian penal system to comply with minimum international standards for the treatment of prisoners.
• Paradoxically, to strike a blow for freedom of expression and free press in Malaysia.

In deciding on the range of defamation damages I should seek from Utusan Malaysia, my lawyers and I have taken into account two recent defamation suits, one by the  son of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mirzan Mahathir, who sued the printers of Asian Wall Street Journal (AWSJ) - Star Papyrus, a subsidiary of Star Publications - for RM150 million for an article entitled Mahathir's Eldest Son Limits Ambitions written by Mr Bruce Knecht and the other by Berjaya Group chairman and chief executive Tan Sri Vincent Tan who sued  Star Papyrus  for RM 200 million for  another AWSJ article entitled Malaysia Props Up Crony Capitalists written by local academic Professor K.S. Jomo.

My lawyers have also prepared  another RM200 million to RM300 million  mega  defamation suit against the Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir for his most defamatory statements against me when he said that  I had made "baseless"  allegations about the  prison conditions of DAP Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Guan Eng,   to gain "political mileage and publicity by tarnishing the image of the government" and  that my allegations were "merely lies which were unfair to the prison officers who were serving with much dedication".

Abdul Kadir even made the preposterous allegation that I was trying to "thwart the Government's efforts to bring investors back" and "scare away tourists".

I have however instructed my lawyers to hold on to the mega defamation suit against Abdul Kadir as I want to give the new Deputy Home Minister a chance to clarify that he was misled with facts and data about prison conditions and life which made him say things which he should  have never  said but for which he must bear full personal responsibility - such as calling me a "liar".

I will instruct my lawyers to file the mega defamation suit against Abdul Kadir if he is not prepared to retract all the baseless allegations he had made against me and admit that the prison conditions in Malaysia fail to comply with  minimum international standards.

(19/2/99)