Now Jamal wants to sue Zuraida

Two days after Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Yunos retracted his allegations against Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin, he said he now intends to file a defamation suit against her instead.

This is partly over remarks Zuraida said in a press conference after he retracted his allegations on Tuesday.

“I have retracted my remarks as stated and she has also agreed to it.

“But unfortunately, outside the court, she called me all sorts of things, such as (that) I am not sane and (said) that I apologised in front of the judge in an open court.

“Not just that, she also said she has successfully tamed me, and that I am wild (buas) and all sorts (of other things). I find this very insulting.

“With that, I have instructed my lawyers to file a suit against Zuraida,” Jamal said to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

In a press conference organised by Zuraida (photo) after the settlement, she allegedly said that Jamal had apologised to her in the settlement and that she is satisfied about having “successfully tamed” him.

It was reported that she also urged Jamal not to do “crazy” things and not to bully others.

Jamal’s lawyer Mohd Nasser Yusof said that the intended suit also pertains to things she has said in the past, as well as her most recent remarks.

His co-counsel V Mugunthan said they had unequivocally told the court during mediation that Jamal will not apologise to Zuraida.

A mutually agreed statement was then drafted by both parties and read out by Jamal in open court, where he retracted his allegations as part of the settlement.

“A perusal of this statement clearly does not include the phrase ‘sorry’ or ‘apologise,” Mugunthan said.

Malaysiakini had attempted to contact Zuraida for her response to this matter.

The settlement was over Jamal’s allegations that Zuraida’s agent had assaulted him on Nov 13 last year.

It was reported that after mediation, Jamal had retracted his remarks, which he said were made in anger and that the situation at the time was tense.

He had also expressed regret and promised the court that there would be no repeat of his actions.

On Nov 13, Jamal and his supporters were pursuing Zuraida as she and PKR members were promoting the Nov 19 Bersih rally at the Ampang Point shopping mall.

A scuffle ensued when police tried to stop Jamal and his entourage, with the red shirts leader being left with a bloody nose.

Immediately after, Jamal could be heard shouting “polis tumbuk saya” ("the police punched me"), but he later told reporters that “budak Zuraida pukul saya” ("Zuraida’s boys hit me").- Mkini