Lim, don’t let racist Muhyiddin ‘I Am Malay First’ Yassin off the hook

 No News Is Bad News

Lim, don’t let racist Muhyiddin ‘I Am Malay First’ Yassin off the hook

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14, 2023: Former prime minister Muhyiddin “I Am Malay First” Yassin is no political greenhorn.

The experienced racist Muhyiddin should know what to say in public against others, in this case former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, and thus should exercise responsibility and accountability and hurl accusations based on facts.

Muhyiddin said what he said and was now relying on the defences of justification, fair comment and qualified privilege to defeat Lim’s suit.”.

However, all those defences do not give him a carte blanche to utter without facts and evidence.

Does Lim have the b***s to proceed the case to punish the racist?

No News Is Bad News reproduces below the Free Malaysia Today report on the case:

Judge advises Lim, Muhyiddin to go for mediation in defamation suit

Judicial commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain also instructs both parties to ‘streamline’ the issues in the event a trial is held.

FMT Reporters - 04 Oct 2023, 2:22pm

Lim Guan Eng claims that Muhyiddin Yassin’s remarks mean that he had abused his power as the then finance minister, and that he is racist, anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court judge presiding in a defamation suit filed by DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng against former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has advised the parties to go for mediation to settle the matter.

Lim’s lawyer, Guok Ngek Seong, said judicial commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain made the suggestion during case management today.

“The judge broached the idea of mediation with a view to settling the case,” Guok said.

He said the parties are to inform the court whether they are agreeable to a settlement before the next case management on Dec 7.

Guok said Roz Mawar also instructed the parties to streamline the issues should a trial be necessary.

“At the moment, there are many issues listed as a result of three statements,” he said.

Lawyer Chetan Jethwani represented Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu president.

Lim had filed the suit on March 27, seeking an apology and retraction of the three alleged defamatory statements made by Muhyiddin on Facebook and in major newspapers and portals.

In his remarks on March 9, Muhyiddin had alleged that Lim, who was the finance minister between 2018 and 2020, was involved in the previous government’s alleged revocation of the tax exemption status given to Muslim charitable organisation Yayasan Albukhary.

Lim claimed the first statement was published on March 9, just after Muhyiddin was released from arrest by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

He said the second statement, made in a media release on March 11, alleged that Lim had imposed a tax on the foundation and a 45% penalty on tax payable for preceding years.

Lim also said Muhyiddin claimed in a media interview, after delivering his winding-up speech at Bersatu’s annual general assembly on March 12, that since the inland revenue department (LHDN) was under Lim’s purview at the time, any instructions to cancel the foundation’s tax exemption must have come from him.

Lim said the statements, in their natural and ordinary meaning, were meant to show that he had abused his position and power by authorising the imposition of taxes and penalties on a welfare foundation.

He said the statements were also meant to depict him as being racist, anti-Malay, anti-Islam and a vindictive person, and that he had acted in bad faith.

Muhyiddin has denied defaming Lim and is relying on the defences of justification, fair comment and qualified privilege to defeat Lim’s suit.

He admitted to referring to Lim in his statements, but said it was over Lim’s capacity as the then finance minister and the person who was ultimately in charge of LHDN, and not in his personal capacity.