SUBSCRIBERS/READERS have rallied behind Malaysiakini after its editor-in-chief Steven Gan insisted that the independent news portal will not back down after UMNO issued a letter of demand to two media outlets over reports on the party’s internal affairs which it claimed were defamatory.
Apart from Malaysiakini, UMNO has also sent a letter of demand (LOD) to 24-hour news channel Astro Awani.
“We will respond to the LOD,” Gan pointed out. “Malaysiakini will stand firm against any attempt to silence or intimidate us from providing the news and views that matter to the Malaysian public.”
“Malaysiakini is an independent news media, not bias to any side but to serve our interests as paid-subscribers,” commented subscriber/reader who goes by the pseudonym Corruption Kills Innocent. “We know that Malaysiakini reports on facts, not fabrication like what UMNO and BN did.”
He added: “UMNO criticised something about Chinese to serve the low mentality Malays’ interests. MCA talks bad about Malays to serve the low mentality Chinese interests. In the end, both MCA and UMNO presidents shake their hands together and celebrate.”
To re-cap, UMNO Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said his party had issued the letters which demanded a retraction, written apology and compensation of RM25 mil in damages from each of the two media organisations.
Subscriber/reader Newday urged Asyraf and UMNO Youth not to “keep on insulting and defaming the word ‘slander’”.
“Just stop this emotive nonsense. Give a decent non-emotive reason why the reporting was slander, especially in light of what your president (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) clearly stated in his winding up speech on the weekend. Do I have to remind you what he stated?”
Last Friday (Aug 26), Malaysiakini reported on conflicting accounts of what transpired at the UMNO political bureau meeting on Aug 24, a day after ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak failed to overturn his conviction and prison sentence.
The report quoted an UMNO and government source as saying that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was purportedly told to hold the general election as soon as possible or be sacked from the party. However, this was denied by the party’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Federal Bakery reminded Malaysiakini that there is a recent decision of the Federal Court that unanimously held that a political party does not have a reputation for which it may maintain an action for defamation.
“The individual has a reputation that can be protected, a trading corporation has a reputation that defamation laws will protect. But not a political party. So let them sue,” reckoned the subscriber/reader.
Also in a report last week, Astro Awani ran a story saying a majority of UMNO division leaders were against a proposal for Ismail Sabri to intervene in Najib’s SRC International Sdn Bhd’s appeal.
Asyraf then stated on a Facebook posting that UMNO Youth would not hesitate to take action against any party who slanders UMNO. “The time has come for UMNO to act through legal channels as it has long allowed lies to spread, creating negative perceptions that harm both the party and its supporters,” he added. – Sept 2, 2022
