Why so fast to sue Ling but not WSJ, asks Kit Siang
The Cabinet tomorrow must ask Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak why he does not the same urgency in suing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as he has shown with former MCA president Tun Dr Liong Ling Sik, DAP said today. DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said that Najib had moved "swiftly" in sending a legal notice to Dr Ling, who allegedly made defamatory statements against the prime minister over the weekend. WSJ, however, which reported in early July on the RM2.6 billion in Najib's personal accounts, still has yet to be sued till today. "Will the Cabinet ask the prime minister why he has not yet instituted legal proceedings against WSJ for its report on July 2, 2015 about the RM2.6 billion 'donation' in his personal banking accounts in AmBank in March 2013, although the report had been published for more than three months?" Lim said in a statement today. The Gelang Patah MP also questioned why Dr Ling was only given seven days to retract his statement. Dr Ling on Saturday said he agreed with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Najib should step down over alleged financial scandal. The former transport minister said that Najib had taken "people's money", as reported by news portal Malaysiakini. Najib's today confirmed that he had directed his lawyer to send a letter to Dr Ling demanding a retraction. But DAP's Lim said the Cabinet must also ask Najib, would he take legal action against four other international media outlets – Al Jazeera, New York Times, The Economist, and Channel News Asia – for unflattering reports about Najib and Malaysia in recent times. In his statement today, Lim listed down 10 questions that the Cabinet needed to ask Najib. This includes the tabling of a white paper to explain all in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy, the worsening air pollution, the sacking of former attorney-general Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, and the supposed endorsement for the September 16 'red shirt' rally. He also said that the Cabinet must seek Najib's clarification if he was indeed being investigated by the United States Justice Department under its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010. The New York Times had reported on September 21 that a US federal grand jury had begun probing into the purchase of luxury real estate by people hiding behind shell companies. This included shell companies that belonged to Najib's step son, Riza Aziz, and to "a close family friend". The probe, run by the Justice Department, is also said to be looking at a US$681 million fund transfer to Najib's personal accounts – the largest portion of the RM2.6 billion that was moved ahead of the May 2013 general election in Malaysia. – October 6, 2015.
