Why don't you sue Mahathir, WSJ, Sarawak Report? asks Ling

Former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik, who is being sued by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, had asked the Umno president that if he cared about his reputation, then he ought to institute legal action against all Umno leaders past and present that have criticised him, namely Dr Mahathir Mohamad and also media organisations The Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report.

In his counter-claim against Najib, Ling alleges Najib did not institute the present suit with the genuine intention of seeking legal redress.

“Najib has instituted the present suit in an attempt to create the perception that he is willing to go to great lengths, not least of which being recourse to the court process in a bid to protect his reputation. The defendant further contends that the attempt to create such a perception is ostensibly to lend legitimacy to Najib's actions.”

“If indeed the plaintiff cared about his reputation, Najib ought to have instituted actions not only against the defendant (Ling), but against all the Umno leaders (past and present) that have criticised him in particular Mahathir and also against WSJ and Sarawak Report,” he said.

Ling pleaded in the defence statement that the suit filed against him is therefore an abuse of the civil court process, and he further alleged that it was done in bad faith, maliciously and with the ulterior motive to create the perception that Najib is willing to go to great lengths.

Besides Mahathir, Ling said Najib had received criticism from Umno deputy president and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Wanita chief Rafidah Aziz and further claimed that Najib's reputation had been tarnished by the numerous saga surrounding 1MDB and SRC scandals.

[More to follow]

--Mkini