By Xavier Kong
UNIVERSITI Utara Malaysia (UUM) lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff is suing five DAP leaders, claiming that they have defamed him through social media and opinion pieces in 2017.
The five are Ariffin Omar, Lim Kit Siang, Teresa Kok, Chong Chieng Jen and Lim Lip Eng.
According to a letter of demand served on Lim Kit Siang, as well as a statement issued by Kamarul, the defamation comes from reports and articles that have called into question his suitability as a public university lecturer, following his police report against Hannah Yeoh.
The police report was about Yeoh’s book “Becoming Hannah,” where Kamarul alleged she had used her political position “to preach at churches, to world leaders and to young people,” and how she “aims to bring Christian faith and service to the public sphere.”
According to Kamarul, following his initial report against Yeoh, he had been “rebuked, accused, humiliated, and badmouthed,” especially by the DAP leadership, because he was “stupid, extremist, and unfit to be a public university lecturer.”
Following that, he had announced that he would be filing a libel suit against Ariffin, who was a DAP senator for Penang, for the publishing of an article titled “Dr Ariffin Omar menasihati Kamarul supaya guna akal.” The article was published on Ariffin’s website, as well as on Roketkini, spawning other articles. However, the letter of demand issued then did not reach Ariffin.
Kamarul then explained that his busy schedule as a lecturer had not allowed him to file suits against other individuals. He has since appointed a new legal representative, Messrs Azril & Associates.
In the letter of demand to Lim Kit Siang, Kamarul’s legal representative noted that defamatory statements were made, alongside the articles and subsequent news reports, along with the implications that Kamarul is unfit to be a lecturer, lodges false and malicious police reports, restricts the religious freedom of Christians, fails to be moderate, and does not practise religious tolerance.
He then demanded a public admission that Lim’s articles were false, a public apology to Kamarul, both of which Kamarul has absolute discretion to approve, as well as monetary damages of RM5 mil.
Kamarul also alleged that Teresa Kok implies he is “insane and dangerous, made up stories to condemn Hannah Yeoh, illogical in his statements as an academician, unsuitable to be an educator, and against the religious freedom of non-Muslims.”
For Chong Chieng Jen, Kamarul alleges defamatory statements in articles, stating that he intends to restrict religious freedom in Malaysia, is a religious extremist and thus unfit to be a lecturer, is using his position as a lecturer to incite religious tensions, is a threat to racial unity in Sarawak and Malaysia, does not respect freedom of religion for non-Muslims, and is sparking racial tension.
With regard to Lim Lip Eng, he alleges that the articles posted by Lip Eng suggest he is retarded or of weak faith, and that he is a lecturer of low calibre. – June 23, 2020
