Guan Eng: Calling me a national spy, traitor is very damaging
(The Star) – Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has maintained in a High Court that he is not a national spy and will not reveal national secrets to the Singapore’s ruling party leaders.
Lim said that he is loyal to the country and claimed that his reputation has been affected over libellous publications by Perkasa and two newspapers against him.
“When called a national spy, a traitor it is very damaging,” he said when it was suggested to him by Perkasa’s lawyer Auzan Sazali that he did not suffer any losses due to the publications.
He said Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa)’s information officer Ruslan Kassim with the New Straits Times Press (M) Sdn Bhd and Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd had defamed him that he revealed national secrets to Peoples’ Action Party (PAP) leaders during a meeting in Singapore in August 2011.
“This is fabrication. It is a complete lie because I am loyal to my country. I will never reveal any national secrets,” he testified in the trial of his RM15mil suit against Ruslan and six others for damages.
Besides that, Lim said he did not have any national secrets as he was not a Federal minister having access to those informations.
He disputed Auzan’s suggestion that he was delayed in taking legal action against the parties due to it not being a serious action.
Questioned by his lawyer Americk Sidhu, Lim said that he become aware of an article or a press release published by Ruslan on a website known as “pribumiperkasa.com” on Oct 1 or 2,2011.
He said he first read the article when it was published in the New Sunday Times on Oct 2, 2011 and discovered that Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia had also carried a similar article in their respective newspapers on the same day.
He said that nobody from any of newspapers had contacted him for comments on the press release issued by Ruslan on the Perkasa website before publishing the articles.
In his suit filed on May 11, 2012, Lim named Ruslan, Perkasa’s president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa,then New Sunday Times group editor Syed Nadzri Syed Harun,its publisher The New Straits Times Press (M) Sdn Bhd, Mingguan Malaysia group editor-in-chief Abdul Aziz Ishak and Utusan Melayu as defendants.
He said the comments made by Ruslan were published and distributed by the NSTP and Utusan on Oct 2, 2011.
In the statement of defence filed on July 16, 2012, Perkasa said that the press release has been misinterpreted and partially manipulated by the NSTP and Utusan Melayu.
In the statement of defence filed on July 25, 2012, NSTP and Utusan denied issuing media publications disparaging Lim.
The hearing continues before Justice Nor Bee Ariffin on Tuesday.
