Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) and its vice-chairperson Salim Fateh Din have issued a letter of demand (LOD) to veteran journalist and Malaysiakini columnist P Gunasegaram.
They are demanding a retraction and an apology over an article concerning the LRT3 Shah Alam Line project.
“The impugned article purports to comment on the LRT3 Shah Alam Line project, including the procurement process adopted for the project, the alleged escalation of costs, delays in implementation and matters relating to political patronage.
“Whilst the impugned article is ostensibly presented as commentary on public procurement and governance, it repeatedly identifies and refers to our clients in a manner which, according to our clients, is false, misleading, unfair and defamatory,” read the letter from the legal firm Messrs Selva Mookiah, who is representing both MRCB and Salim.
Salim is also the MCMC chairperson.
The LOD alleges that the article contains serious insinuations concerning political patronage, procurement irregularities and abuse of public resources without identifying any factual basis capable of substantiating those allegations.
“According to our clients, the impugned article has caused and continues to cause substantial damage to the corporate reputation, goodwill and commercial standing of our clients,” it read.
7-day time frame
Gunasegaram has been given seven days to remove the article from his Facebook account and all other platforms under his control, and to immediately cease publishing, republishing, circulating or otherwise disseminating the article, or any publication containing the same or substantially similar allegations.
“Publish, with prominence equivalent to that of the impugned article, an unequivocal apology and full retraction in terms to be approved by our clients; issue a written acknowledgement that the impugned article should not be understood as suggesting that our clients obtained any commercial advantage through political patronage or were responsible for any alleged procurement impropriety.
“Provide a written undertaking that you shall refrain from publishing any further statements conveying the same or similar defamatory meanings concerning our clients; and confirm your full compliance with the above demands within the stipulated period,” read the LOD.
In a statement to Malaysiakini, Gunasegaram defended his article as a “fair comment on a matter of great public interest”, saying the facts were drawn from public records.
“I will defend this action against me,” he said. - Mkini
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