Anwar’s lawyers to Chandra: Respect court settlement
(MM) – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyers accused Dr Chandra Muzaffar today of disrespecting the court when the latter said his settlement with Anwar in a recent slander suit was merely made as a “reciprocal gesture”.
N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya reminded Chandra that he had “unconditionally” retracted his allegedly slanderous allegation against Anwar in court on Tuesday, without stating at the time that it was done because the Opposition Leader had withdrawn his charges.
The lawyers maintained that Anwar had never withdrawn any claims against Chandra, but had merely amended his statement of claim last year to clarify certain issues in the court case.
“Secondly, Chandra’s claim that his retraction of the allegations in court on January 7, 2014 was a reciprocal gesture is absurd, because the amendment of the claim was made one year ago!
“If that is the case, why didn’t Chandra make this so-called ‘reciprocal gesture’ one year ago when Anwar amended his suit?” they asked in a joint statement.
On Tuesday, PKR de facto chief Anwar settled his slander lawsuit against Chandra after the academician agreed to retract his words alleging the former of inciting racial unrest in Penang from six years ago.
The head of Yayasan 1 Malaysia agreed to recant his remark that suggested Anwar incited racial enmity, which was reported by English language daily The Star in an article titled “Disaster if Anwar is PM” published on March 8, 2008.
In a press statement on the court settlement, Chandra had said: “I withdrew my allegation about the ringing of bells in a Hindu Temple in connection with the Kampung Rawa Dispute between some Hindus and Muslims in March 1998 in the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning, the 7th of January 2014, as a reciprocal gesture since Anwar had withdrawn two other claims of defamation against me on the 14th of January 2013.”
Surendran and Latheefa, however, insisted that Chandra had not stated at any point of time in his statement of withdrawal that it was made as a result of Anwar’s amendment.
“We call upon Dr Chandra Muzaffar to conduct himself consistent with his unconditional retraction of the allegations, and not to put a spin upon his retraction,” the lawyers said.
Since the court settlement, Chandra has insisted that he was only retracting the remark and had not apologised.
The offending remark had stemmed from a forum at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya in 2008, during which Chandra spoke of Anwar’s reported role in the racial clashes in Kampung Jawa, Penang.
He had then reportedly said Anwar vowed “he would make sure the temple bells would not ring in the country anymore”.
Anwar subsequently sued the former Aliran president for RM10 million in damages, alleging that the latter disparaged him in both his private and official capacities, including as former deputy prime minister and former finance minister and alleged that the defamatory comments, among other things, meant that he promoted and incited racial hatred among the races in Malaysia.
The case was heard before High Court judge Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad, who issued the “consent judgement” and did not make an order as to costs or damages.
