Utusan editor repeatedly apologises to Karpal

A senior writer with Utusan Malaysia apologised to DAP chairperson Karpal Singh several times in court today over an article written in four years ago. 

The writer, Utusan news editor Zulkifli Jalil, admitted there was some negligence and misunderstanding on his part in writing the article, 'DAP diingat jangan bakar perasaan Melayu'.

Based on Karpal's speech at the DAP national congress in 2008, Zulkifli wrote in the report, the DAP leader said he rejected Islam as the country's official religion.

During his testimony, Zulkifli said at the time, he had taken "rejecting an Islamic state" and "rejecting Islam as the official religion of the country" to mean the same.

He also admitted he did not contact Karpal for clarification and that his writing was based on personal experiences and other news reports on Karpal's opposition to PAS' Islamic state agenda.

Zulkifli was the sole witness testifying during the hearing of a RM10 million defamation suit Karpal filed in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

According to national news agency Bernama, Zulkifli apologised to Karpal several times during his testimony and said he was unaware of his mistake until Utusan Malaysia published a correction on Aug 26, 2008, a day after the his article was published.

‘Utusan tarnished my reputation'

The correction states that Utusan had withdrawn the article and also apologised to Karpal. 

However, Karpal has maintained his right to sue the Umno-owned newspaper due to the severity of offending article.

In his affidavit, Karpal said the words "bahawa beliau menolak Islam sebagai agama rasmi negara ini (that he rejects Islam as the official religion of the country)" was wrongly attributed to him in Zulkifli's Page 2 article. 

He said Islam's position as the official religion of the country was enshrined in the federal constitution and his stand on this has been consistent, as reflected in his speeches in Parliament over the past 26 years. 

"Because of this article, the public perceived me as a person who is anti-Islam, who wants to create discord among Malaysia's multi-ethnic populace," he said.

High Court judge Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad will hear submissions from both parties on Sept 24. 

Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd is represented by B Mohana Kumar while Karpal is represented by Sangeet Kaur Deo.