Utusan gets two weeks to pull back article and apologise to CM

By The Star

GEORGE TOWN: The DAP has given Utusan Malaysia 14 days to withdraw an alleged malicious article against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, failing which the party would file a defamation suit against the newspaper.

State DAP vice-chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said a notice of demand dated Dec 21 was issued to the Bahasa Malaysia daily to withdraw the alleged malicious words used in its feature article Kebiadaban Guan Eng (Guan Eng’s Uncouth Behaviour) published on Monday.

The notice also demanded that the newspaper publish an apology and pay Lim “a reasonable amount” of compensation.

Jagdeep said Lim denied saying or doing what was alleged in the article.

It was reported that Lim had said that he would sue the daily for allegedly publishing an article that he had cancelled the Maulidur Rasul procession here and demolished Malay villages.

“The Chief Minister has also denied being a racist and an anti-Malay.

“He has also not gone against the Malays or oppressed them. He did not cancel the Maulidur Rasul procession or stop Malays from trading at Komtar during Ramadan. He also has not demolished any villages.

“Neither has the Chief Minister used funds from the Penang Turf Club for the senior citizens appreciation programme,” Jagdeep said at a press conference yesterday.

He said Lim was also considering taking legal action against the daily for allegedly reporting that he had raised citizenship issues in his speech at the recent Pakatan Rakyat convention.

He said Lim had so far sent five notices of demand to the newspaper since 2008 with one suit already filed.