CM vs SDO: Guan Eng to sue Utusan

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will sue Utusan Malaysia over a report it had carried relating to the spat between him and state development officer Nik Ali Mat Yunus. Senior DAP lawyer Karpal Singh said in a statement today that Lim has appointed him to file the suit against the Malay-language daily for the report dated July 23 entitled 'Siapakan sebenarnya `lidah biawak'?' ('Who really has the forked tongue?'). Utusan in the report alleged Lim to have called Nik Ali biadap (ill-mannered) names such as lidah biawak.

Ascribing to Lim the complaint that Nik Ali had not provided Lim a seat during an official function in Penang which was held in October, 2009,Utusan implied it was the chief minister who had lied - by showing a picture (left) of Lim during the function seated in a VIP chair next to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nor Mohamed Yakcop. “These pictures prove the real attitude of the Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng.

"If before this Guan Eng had called state development officer (SDO) Nik Ali Mat Yunus (left) with rude names such as being forked-tongued, these pictures tell the real story,” said the report. Karpal, however, said the claim that Lim had used the word lidah biawak for this reason was a lie, since Lim had not raised the issue of being provided a seat - or otherwise - at all. “To the contrary, the matter was raised by Nik Ali in order to divert public attention from Nik Ali's failure to carry out his duties efficiently and professionally in three issues,” said Karpal, who proceeded to list the issues of contention between Lim and Nik Ali. The issues had to do with Nik Ali's refusal, alleged Karpal (right), to respect the principle of accountability in answering for the loss of RM150,000 after some structures built at the Penang Botonical Gardens subsequently had to be demolished. The SDO had also allegedly failed to answer for the federal government's responsibility over illegal sand-mining at a Balik Pulau polytechnic, and had not respected the authority of the local councils pertaining to federal projects in the state. “It was for his (Nik Ali's) failure to tackle the three issues that Lim had called him 'Little Napoleon' and was disappointed with the Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Sidek Hassan's siding with Nik Ali in his use of such words as 'biadap' (rude) and 'dayus' (weak) against the Chief Minister in press conference organised by Umno state representatives. As a parting shot, Karpal said it “should be remembered that the state government is still providing Nik Ali as the SDO the facility to rent a state government bungalow at only 10 percent of the market price (90 percent discount) as his own.”

courtesy of Malaysiakini