Puad dares Kit Siang to sue Raja Petra over RM1bil bribe claim

(NST) – Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi has challenged DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang to sue blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin if the latter’s claims about him were in fact false.

In a statement today, Puad said Lim must come clean and explain his reasons because to many people, the claims seemed logical.

Raja Petra had earlier this week insinuated that Lim was paid RM1 billion by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to allow him (Mahathir) to become Pakatan Harapan chairperson, for Lim to remain silent on the Bank Negara Malaysia forex scandal and for Mahathir’s son Mukhriz to be given a safe parliamentary seat to contest in the next general election.

“The claims are logical because everyone was baffled at how (Dr) Mahathir and Lim could sit at the same table when they were actually tight political enemies (and could not get along) like a cat and a dog.

“Even though (Dr) Mahathir said their goals of bringing down (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) were the same, both of them have hidden agendas which will be revealed once they are in power,” he said.

Due to this, Puad said, Lim must immediately sue Raja Petra rather than be a coward.

Lim should not just be bold in suing the media when news reports do not go his way.

“This is the mark of an old dictator,” he said.

Lim on Wednesday announced he will sue the media over reporting of the claims.

“I have directed my lawyers to take out a test case to sue the media which printed lies and defamatory material about me, like receiving a RM1 billion bribe from (Dr) Mahathir so that Bersatu could join Pakatan Harapan,” he was reported to have said.