Political differences are fine, defamation is not, says Kit Siang in court over Chin Peng, Kuan Yew claims
He said he took offence to the insinuation by Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad that he has similar ideologies with the late Communist Party of Malaya leader, Chin Peng, aside from her allegations that he is related to the communist leader.
(MMO) – DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang told the Penang High Court that it is normal for politicians to have different ideologies and political views, but it does not have to be defamatory.
He said he took offence to the insinuation by Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad that he has similar ideologies with the late Communist Party of Malaya leader, Chin Peng, aside from her allegations that he is related to the communist leader.
“It is more about the allegations of a conspiracy to destroy Malaysia,” he told the court presided by Justice Datuk Quay Chew Soon this morning during cross examination by Siti Mastura’s lawyer, Yusfarizal Yussoff.
Lim was the first witness to take the stand in a defamation lawsuit he, his son, Guan Eng, and Teresa Kok, had filed against Siti Mastura.
The trio had filed the suit against the PAS MP over the latter’s speech at a ceramah linking them to Chin Peng, as well as Singapore’s former first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
When Yusfarizal put it to him that PAS’ political ideology was to uphold Islam in the democratic system, Kit Siang replied that “we all uphold Islam”.
He also said he had no issues with PAS wanting to introduce the Shariah law as long as it was within the confines of the Federal Constitution.
Yusfarizal then asked if it was normal for a politician to question the ideology of their political opponent.
“We are not talking about whether it is normal or not normal, we are talking about whether it is defamatory or not defamatory here,” he said.
