“Felda is a legal body set up with the people's money. Felda was established to assist and benefit the people. The laws are clear. Felda cannot sue (Suara Keadilan),” said the publication's counsel N Surendran (left).“The legal principles are clear. Whatever (government) body is set up using the people's money and for the good of the people cannotsue for defamation every time it is criticised by the people,” Surendran added.
According to him, based on the common law as practised in the local, state and federal governments and statutory bodies cannot sue the people.
“If it (law suits against the public) were allowed, then the right of the people to criticise the government, government institutions and statutory bodies would be affected,” said Surendran, who was speaking at a press conference held today at PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya.
Also present were PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, PKR's Felda bureau chairperson Suhaimi Said and former land and cooperatives minister Tan Kee Kwong.To a question, Surendran said he has yet received a writ of summons from Felda, though a letter of demand was issued by the government agency on July 1.
Felda was set up to offer schemes to assist settlers, “not to be used by a small group of people to attack opposition political parties”, Surendran said further.
“That was not the (original) aim of Felda. Felda was supposed to help rural settlers with farming schemes. How can a body like that, set up with such a purpose, use its funds to attack individuals and political parties? It's not logical at all,” he added.In the same press conference, Suhaimi (above) alleged that the money Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had announced would be given to Felda settlers - between RM150 to RM350 each person - was from funds collected by the settlers themselves.
courtesy of Malaysiakini
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