Lawyer says PM should not be too hasty as calls to sue over Johor casino article mount

Twentytwo13
·2-min read
Lawyer says PM should not be too hasty as calls to sue over Johor casino article mount
"Lawyer says PM should not be too hasty as calls to sue over Johor casino article mount"

A senior lawyer disagrees with those wanting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (main image) to take legal action against Bloomberg over its article, which claimed that the Prime Minister of Malaysia had met Malaysian tycoons about opening a casino to revive Forest City in Johor.

Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said Anwar should not be too quick to take legal action for defamation “unless it is very serious to him personally”.

“On the other hand, if the third party had defamed the Office of the Prime Minister, and somehow poses a national threat, then a police report can be lodged for criminal defamation,” said Jahaberdeen.

“Generally, I am of the view that politicians should not be too quick to take action for defamation, as criticism, and sometimes harsh comments – but not too serious – are common in politics. Politicians, being the main players in any democracy, ought to be the first to find a delicate balance between freedom of speech and the right to take legal action against defamation.”

He added that politicians, wherever possible, should allow citizens to voice their dissenting views, although admitted that some “may not express them politely or properly”.

Anwar had recently called on those named in the Bloomberg report to “take action”. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists, in a statement on April 29, urged Anwar to retract his call.

Lawyers Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla and Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, who is also Parti Pejuang Tanah Air information chief, were among those who had called on Anwar to initiate legal action against Bloomberg. Haniff was quoted as saying that Anwar was quick to sue Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor for allegedly insinuating that the prime minister was “immoral” in a speech ahead of the 15th General Election in 2022. Supporters of the opposition had also challenged Anwar to take legal action.

The Malaysian government was quick to deny the Bloomberg report. Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, stressed that there were no plans to open, or operate casinos in the state. Meanwhile, Genting Malaysia Bhd and Berjaya Corporation Bhd denied that they were involved in such discussions. Berjaya even lodged a police report over the matter.

A Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia member, Badrul Hisham Shaharin, popularly known as Chegubard, was charged at the Johor Bahru Sessions Court this morning, with publishing seditious material on social media related to the Bloomberg article. The 45-year-old pleaded not guilty.

Genting operates Malaysia's only casino in Genting Highlands, Pahang. It has held the only casino licence in Malaysia since 1969.

The post Lawyer says PM should not be too hasty as calls to sue over Johor casino article mount appeared first on Twentytwo13.

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