Malaysian Digest
KUALA LUMPUR, 14 APRIL 2010: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and two others have given an undertaking to Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (pic) not to print and publish again an article entitled “”Zambry Disyaki Pengganas – Gagal masuk ke Amerika Syarikat”, in the party’s monthly newspaper Suara Keadilan.
The undertaking was agreed upon by both parties in a consent recorded by High Court Judicial Commissioner Dr Prasad Sandosham Abaraham.
The order related to a RM100 million suit filed by Dr Zambry against PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and three others over an article published in Suara Keadilan.
In the suit filed on Feb 25, Dr Zambry named Wan Azizah in her capacity as an office bearer of PKR, its deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali as the chief editor of Suara Keadilan, the publisher of the newspaper, Pelita Koridor Sdn Bhd, and the printer of Suara Keadilan, Percetakan NPK Sdn Bhd as the defandants.
Today was set for hearing of Dr Zambry’s application for an injunction order to prevent the defendants from further publishing the article.
At the outset, Dr Zambry’s counsel, Aisha Mubarak, informed the court that the undertaking was made upon Dr Zambry’s application for an injunction order.
She said PKR and the publisher of the newspaper, Pelita Koridor Sdn Bhd, and the printer of Suara Keadilan, Percetakan NPK Sdn Bhd had given their undertaking not to print and publish the article or made any indirect re-statement, in anyway of the article contents.
Outside the court, Aisha told the media that PKR had given the undertaking on the matter because Wan Azizah and Dr Syed Husin) were named in the suit as the office bearers of the PKR.
Dr Zambry, in his statement of claim, said the newspaper edition dated Dec 29, 2009, contained defamatory words which were false, baseless and were maliciously published.
He said he was not denied entry into the United States of America and did in fact enter the US and was duly accorded recognition of his status as the Perak MB.
He said his visit to the US was widely reported in the media and the defendants had intentionally published the defamatory words.
Dr Zambry said the defamatory words had gravely injured his feelings and he had suffered serious damage to his public, personal and political reputation and had also been brought into public scandal, odium and contempt.
He also said that the defamatory words were designed to ridicule his position as the Perak MB and were published prominently on the back of the newspaper to attract the added attention of the reader and to cause maximum damage and embarrassment to him.
The defamatory words were understood to mean that he was suspected of being a terrorist, was involved in terrorism and was listed on a database of terrorists and was unfit to be Menteri Besar of Perak and to hold public office, he said.
He is seeking RM100 million in damages, including aggravated and exemplary damages, interest of eight per cent per anum and also an injunction to restrain the defandants from further publishing the defamatory words or any similar defamatory words against him.