(Petaling Jaya, Thursday): I will file another two RM250 million defamation suits, one against the New Straits Times and another against the New Sunday Times, for publishing most defamatory cartoons against me at the Civil Courts Registry tomorrow.
The NST political cartoon by M. Desa on 19th February 1999, captioned ‘Kit Siang wants prison conditions improved’, drawing a prison with McDonalds fast food joint, gymnasium, circus, dangdut bar, Astro TV, Hard Rock Café and even a girlie massage parlour located inside its walls and barbed fencing was most defamatory.
I had thought nothing could be worse, but M. Desa’s political cartoon in the New Sunday Times on 21st February 1999 on the same theme was even more defamatory a thousand-fold.
It would appear that there is a mass media conspiracy involving the New Straits Times, the New Sunday Times, the Utusan Malaysia and the Berita Harian to give a distorted slant about the actual prison conditions of DAP Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Guan Eng, in Kajang Prison.
I had already in a statement rebutted yesterday’s Berita Harian front-page report quoting the Prisons Deputy Director for Public Relations, Jamil Razif Kassim as saying that Guan Eng "diberikan beberapa pengecualian berbanding banduan lain. Sebagai contoh Ahli Parlimen Kota Melaka itu dibenarkan menemui anggota keluarganya dua kali seminggu dan secara bersemuka tanpa sebarang cermin penghadang".
Jamil had stated two untruths: It is untrue that Guan Eng receives two family visits a week and it is also untrue that the family visits are held face-to-face without a glass barrier.
The Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Halim Ali should ensure that all government Public Relations Officers should realise that facts are sacred while opinions are free - and that under no circumstances should any goverment PRO try to play about with facts. I hope Berita Harian would also take note.
(25/2/99)