DAP lawmakers urge PM to sue Newsweek to save reputation

DAP parliamentarians have urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to sue Newsweek for defamation on account of the US
edition of the magazine's opinion column that described the Malaysian leader as a “crook.”

“This is an offensive term which makes its application to a sitting prime minister impugnable,” DAP Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran told Malaysiakini.

“Prime Minister Najib has no choice but to sue as not doing so would prompt the conclusion he is not willing to defend his reputation against slurs as brazen as this one,” added the DAP national vice-chair and Pakatan Harapan vice-president.

The US magazine in its Sept 15 edition published an opinion piece by Paul Wolfowitz, a former ambassador to Indonesia and a President George W Bush Administration appointee, on President Donald Trump's meeting with Najib at the White House on Sept 12.

A commentary by Wolfowitz on the meeting that had appeared on the website of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) was published by Newsweek in its Sept 15 edition with an alteration to the heading that had made it more scalding than the original one on the AEI website.

The original heading of the article which had appeared on Sept 12, the day of the Trump-Najib meeting, was, by comparison, a mild reproof – 'This is not draining the swamp'.

The article's replication in the Sept 15 edition of Newsweek was accompanied by the more incendiary title 'Trump's meeting with Malaysian crook reeks of the swamp'.

“Najib had sued some of his Malaysian detractors for directing at him terms that are relatively less offensive than what Newsweek has allowed Wolfowitz to employ against the PM,” noted Kula.

“Although the courts in Malaysia do not perceive the prime minister to be a public official, the rest of the world does which is why someone calling the Malaysian Public Official 1 a 'crook' should be sued as otherwise the highest office in the land is bereft of dignity,” Kula said.

The opposition leader recalled that ongoing disclosures of alleged malfeasance in the saga of 1MDB in the US newspaper, Wall Street Journal, had on occasion drawn public responses by Najib's lawyers of intent to sue.

Kula said these responses had not translated into action so that a brazen slur such as now applied to Najib by Wolfowitz and Newsweek, if unchallenged, would imply that the target is acquiescent.

“In this instance, the PM has no choice but to sue to clear his name,” said Kula.

Nation shamed beyond redemption

DAP national publicity chief Tony Pua also concurred, adding the prime minister should also sue CNN as well.

Pua in a statement today said not only was Najib's personal reputation tarnished by the international media, Malaysians as a whole have also "been shamed almost beyond redemption."

"We call upon the prime minister to put together the best team of international lawyers to sue Newsweek and CNN for defamation and publication of 'fake news' to redeem not only his reputation but our honour and pride," said Pua.  

"After all, he is well-known for going to the courts to protect his so-called reputation," said Pua, who pointed out that he has been at the receiving end of two ongoing defamation suits linked to 1MDB.

CNN reported the Najib-Trump meeting in its “Conflict of Interest Watch” story, and Pua said it had focused on Najib's alleged role in the United States Department of Justice's 1MDB-linked probe.

Given the extent of the allegations, Pua said at the very least Najib's lawyer Hafarizam Harun should inform both Newsweek and CNN that his client is open to an apology.

"He (Hafarizam) has offered me the same option just two days ago, claiming that the 'prime minister is open-minded' and would accept an 'I am sorry Mr Prime Minister' in order for a legal settlement to be reached.

"However, if Najib doesn’t even have the courage to salvage his reputation and credibility internationally by suing Newsweek and CNN, then the entire world would only be convinced that he is guilty as charged," Pua said.

"In which case, there would, of course, be absolutely no reason for me to offer any apology for pretty much saying the same things," he added.

Apology demanded of Pua

Najib filed a second defamation suit against Pua in April on his statement and Facebook video clip on the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) which allegedly implied he had committed theft and abused his power.

In 2015, Najib also sued Pua over similar comments linking him with the 1MDB scandal.

Najib has repeatedly denied abusing public funds for personal gain. He has also been cleared by attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali.

The prime minister has accused his political rivals, including former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, of conspiring to topple him from power with false allegations. It is also claimed that several foreign media organisations are part of this campaign.

As for the DOJ's filings, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who had confirmed that Malaysian Official 1 is Najib, said since the prime minister was not named in the suits, he is not the subject of the kleptocracy investigation. - Mkini