Kit Siang sues Utusan over claims of CEC manipulation

by Melissa Chi
The Malay Mail Online
September 27, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang filed a lawsuit today against Utusan Melayu over an article alleging he had manipulated the party’s central executive committee (CEC) election — the same day its newspaper Utusan Malaysia printed an apology to the party’s leaders over another article.

His lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo told reporters that the Umno mouthpiece was libelous in an article published on August 18 this year.

“The article in which Utusan used repeated information from the alleged book which quotes one Father Augustus Chen, which we say don’t exist.

“We challenge Utusan to come up with proof to show that Father Augustus Chen exist and to also prove that the allegations that he had made in respect to the 753 delegates did not get notice, proof that, and also the allegation in respect to the fact that there was 500 or more phantom voters from Penang,” he said after the High Court dismissed the bid for injunction against DAP polls.

The 16-page booklet surfaced in Penang sometime last month, claiming irregularities and vote manipulation allegedly to place cronies of both Kit Siang and his son, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, on the powerful CEC, among other allegations.

Allegations of irregularities in the CEC results had cast a shadow over the party ever since the Registrar of Society began a probe into the issue following complaints by party members.

“We are giving Utusan a chance, come to court, you had gone on to make an article a very, very damning article about Mr Lim Kit Siang, we now give Utusan a chance,” Gobind said today.

According to the writ of summons, Lim is asking for general damages including aggravated and, or exemplary damages for libel.