PAS, PKR reps also members of Perkasa, says NGO’s information chief
(Fz) – Some PAS and PKR members are also members of Malay rights group Perkasa, said Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim today.
Ruslan made the admission in court today when being cross-examined by Americk Singh Sidhu, counsel to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng during the second day of trial into Lim’s defamation suit against two major publications and Perkasa.
However, Ruslan could not provide the amount of members of the Opposition parties who are also members of the NGO.
“There are (Perkasa) members from PAS and PKR. But they must be Bumiputera or from the indigenous communities,” he said.
“I don’t know the actual numbers but there are (members from the Opposition parties in Perkasa),” he added.
However, he said Perkasa has 400,000 to 500,000 members across the nation, most of whom are non-partisan.
Lim is suing Ruslan, Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, New Straits Times (NST), Utusan Malaysia, NST group editor Syed Nadzri Syed Harun and Utusan group editor-in-chief Abdul Aziz Ishak for publishing allegations that Lim had divulged national secrets to the Singapore ruling party People’s Action Party during a dinner.
On Oct 2, 2011, NST, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia, had quoted Ruslan alleging that Kalimullah had leaked national secrets during a dinner in Singapore attended by Azman, Lim and other PAP leaders.
The next day Lim publicly demanded an apology from NST and Mingguan Malaysia for alleging that he had leaked national secrets at the same dinner.
The NST, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia had apologised to Kalimullah on Oct 23, 2011 for alleging that he had leaked state secrets at a dinner with PAP leaders.
All three acknowledged that the claim, made by Ruslan, was without any foundation or basis.
