Thesun 2009-08-17 Page06 Ooi To Sue Malay Daily

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theSun

| MONDAY AUGUST 17 2009

news without borders

Ooi to sue Malay daily by Himanshu Bhatt and Bernard Cheah [email protected]

GEORGE TOWN: Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi yesterday said he would sue a Malay-language daily over a report which he said had defamed him for alleging that he had insulted Islam. Ooi said the “malicious” report by Utusan Malaysia about him and DAP youth chief and Rasah MP Loke Siew Fook on Aug 13 had triggered police investigations on them. Loke was interviewed by the police at his service centre in Seremban on Aug 14. “I did not insult Islam. Obviously Utusan Malaysia’s reports are politically motivated,” Ooi

told a press conference at his service centre here. “I have instructed my legal team to proceed with legal action immediately in order to uphold my rights as a legislator and a Malaysian citizen under Utusan’s malicious attacks,” he said. Ooi, who is also chief of staff in the Chief Minister’s Office, said the daily had shown a pattern of defaming DAP and its leaders as anti-Islam, pointing to an earlier report on Feb 24 on the state government setting up the Penang Religious Consultative Council. So far, at least three other DAP MPs have initiated legal suits against the daily, namely party chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh, secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim

Guan Eng, who is also Bagan MP, and organising secretary and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok. Ooi was later questioned for about 90 minutes by police at his service centre as part of investigation under section 4(b) of the Sedition Act 1948. His lawyer, R.S.N. Rayer, DAP’s Seri Delima assemblyman who had accompanied him, said Ooi was queried on what had transpired during his press conference on Aug 1. Ooi had reportedly told the press that Penang Island Municipal Council’s PKR councillor Mohd Razali Abdullah, a member of JIM, was a “religious extremist” and expressed concern about Razali’s behaviour in the MPPP administration.

Group says it is not an extremist organisation by Charles Ramendran [email protected]

Rafa admits problem but slaps Fergie again pg 29

KUALA LUMPUR: Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) said it is not an Islamic extremist group but a non-governmental organisation championing Islam as a way of community development. Unperturbed by the recent spat with Jelutong MP and Penang chief minister’s chief of staff Jeff Ooi where he referred to JIM as an extremist Islamic organisation, its president Zaid Kamaruddin said although the group’s vision is to see the implementation of Islamic law or syariah in the country by 2020, it does not mean they are attempting to encroach into the rights of followers of other religions. Ooi, under pressure from other NGOs and his peers, subsequently withdrew his remark about JIM, which was formed in 1990 and is also known as the Islamic Reform Society of Malaysia. He said the mission of JIM, which has about 8,000 members nationwide, is nurture thought-sharing among Malaysians and developing human capital to contribute to

society through mutual consultations with the authorities of other religions. “We often hold discussions, discourses and work with other religious NGOs such as the Hindu Sangam and the Christian Federation of Malaysia as a way of sharing our thoughts and beliefs,” he said at the JIM headquarters at Taman Melawati, Ampang. “We prefer to present Islam as a choice, work on building acceptance and consensus while leaving it to the people to make their choice. “We stand for peace and justice for all. Those who think we are extremists do not know us at all. We are not disturbed by the remark and those who are familiar with JIM know it is untrue,” he said. He said he was puzzled by Ooi’s attempt to remove Penang Municipal councillor Mohd Razali Abdullah from the One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee just because he belonged to JIM. “Mohd Razali should be judged by his performance. He was appointed to the OSC on the basis of his political association and not for his affiliation with JIM,” he said.

MACC denies Gestapo tactics in Wong’s arrest KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has denied using “Gestapo” tactics when arresting Wong Chuan How, the special assistant to a Selangor exco member on Friday. “MACC officers never pushed Wong until he fell. Wong would not have been injured if he had followed directive and cooperated in the investigation,” the MACC said in a statement here yesterday. It said initial investigations found that several aid programmes to be funded by the allocation to the Sg Pelek state assemblyman could not be implemented although they had been approved and cheques for the sum given to Wong. This made Wong the main suspect and the MACC decided to arrest him on Aug 5, but telephone calls and text messages sent to him went unanswered, the statement said. “Finally on Aug 13, Wong sent SMSes to MACC officers saying he was prepared to meet them at the Sg Pelek state assemblyman’s service centre at 9am on Aug 14.” On Friday, a team of MACC officers met Wong and his two lawyers at the said place and showed them their authority cards, the statement

said. “He (Wong) was told he would be taken to the MACC office in Putrajaya for further investigations as case documents were kept there.” The MACC said Wong and his lawyers however, protested, saying he was bound by the Selangor State Secretary circular Bil. 4, 2009. Wong was then arrested under Section 18 of MACC Act 2009 and Section 406 of Penal Code. He refused to sign a notice under Section 53 (3) of the Act which was read and given to him, the statement said. Wong, through his lawyers, then asked to be allowed to lodge a police report on his arrest before being taken to Putrajaya, it said. The MACC officers agreed but told Wong he was under custody and would have to go to the police station in their car, the statement said. “However, when Wong who was not handcuffed was about to get into the car, he suddenly pushed the officers’ hands away and tried to escape. The officers, to stop Wong from escaping, held him from behind as he struggled. He then fell on the five-foot-way of a shop.” – Bernama

Strong quake shakes Sumatra JAKARTA: Seven people were injured after a strong, 6.9-magnitude quake struck Indonesia’s western Sumatra yesterday. The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 2.38pm (3.38pm in Malaysia), was located 43km southeast of Siberut island off western Sumatra. It was measured at a depth of 32km. West Sumatra provincial health crisis centre chief Jasmarizal told AFP seven people were being treated in hospital for “light injuries” in Padang city on the west coast of Sumatra. “Five people were injured when an escalator at a mall in north Padang collapsed. Two others were hurt when the fences of their homes gave way. They had light injuries on their arms and legs. Everyone panicked and ran out of their houses. But the situation is calmer now and people have gone back into their homes,” a Padang city police official said. There were no reports of casualties or damage on Siberut island, Jasmarizal said. “But the residents there had fled to the mountains for safety.”