Former PD rep plans legal action against ex-bartender

Danyal Balagopal Abdullah says recent news reports have alleged he had received RM25 million from Anwar to vacate the Port Dickson parliamentary seat.

PORT DICKSON: Danyal Balagopal Abdullah is mulling legal action against those defaming him for giving up his Port Dickson MP seat.

Danyal said he is seeking legal advice regarding “defamatory” statements made about him over the past two weeks.

“There is now an article in a news portal about an ex-bartender insinuating that I, as a retired Navy admiral, am corrupt and should be investigated by the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission).

“I am known as quite a forgiving person. However, I cannot allow people to take advantage of my personality and knowingly slander and defame me.

“I will be seeking legal advice on this. If necessary, I will not hesitate to take legal action against them,” he said at a press conference here today.

Danyal appealed to the public not to hurl baseless allegations against him, PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim or PKR leaders.

He said recent news reports had alleged he had received RM25 million from Anwar to vacate the parliamentary seat.

“I am surprised and appalled to know that today, people in our nation cannot fathom that a person can genuinely do something good for their people without getting financial returns.

“I am ashamed there are still people in our society with such narrow mindsets and are incapable of acknowledging, accepting and recognising the true intentions and actions for what they are.

“Let us be reminded that this is Malaysia Baru and the old regime’s culture of corruption is over,” he said.

Danyal, a retired rear admiral, won with 36,225 votes in the May 9 polls, beating Barisan Nasional’s VS Mogan (who received 18,515 votes) and PAS’ Mahfuz Roslan (who obtained 6,594 votes).

He stepped down earlier this month to make way for Anwar, who is attempting a return to Parliament after getting a royal pardon for a sodomy offence.

Nominations for the Port Dickson by-election will take place tomorrow, while polling day is set for Oct 13.

The move was criticised by some, including veterans group National Patriots Association, which questioned the lack of representation of armed forces personnel and veterans in Parliament, now with Danyal quitting.

Danyal set the record straight that, until his resignation as an MP on Sept 12, nobody had approached or contacted me to resign or make way for Anwar.

“There were no threats or coercion made against me by anyone in the party.

“The only one condition for my resignation in place was that I am to continue to serve the people as the right-hand man of Anwar in Port Dickson once he becomes the new MP,” he said.

The Port Dickson by-election is set to see a five-cornered fight after former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Isa Samad announced last night he would quit Umno and contest the parliamentary seat.

Others expected to contest the by-election against Anwar are PAS candidate Lt-Col (Rtd) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Ahmad Kamarudin and independent Stevie Chan.