Dr Zakir Naik's legal notices to Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy were crafted according to the law and to show the cause of action, said the Muslim preacher's lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader.
He dismissed the DAP leader's assertion that certain statements in the second notice dated Aug 23 were tantamount to interfering in local politics.
“We are guided by statutory provisions and case laws. When acting for a client, we have to disclose the facts in issue and relevant facts. We are guided by the requirement of the law.
“This is what we have gathered and discovered in order to show motive and bad faith (for making the statements critical of Zakir). This is nothing personal. It is incumbent upon us to do so,” he told Malaysiakini this afternoon.
Should the matter proceed to a court hearing, Akberdin said, the same issues mentioned in the notices of demand would be raised again.
“The notices of demand are more of a courtesy extended to the other party to inform the person of our (client's) stand, demands and future action (if the demands are not met).
“The relevant facts would then be pleaded in the court documents,” he added.
Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that Ramasamy would file a police report against Zakir over the second legal notice, which claimed the Perai assemblyperson was attacking the preacher to boost his waning popularity in DAP.
"Rather than sending me a professional notice of demand, Zakir has accused me of criticising him due to my 'sagging popularity' in DAP.
"Furthermore, he accused me of misusing my position as the deputy chief minister II and being the person behind the (cancelled) protest against him in Brickfields on Aug 24, 2019.
"Isn't this second legal notice another interference of Zakir in local politics? This is something that the police have warned him against," he added.
Meanwhile, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang had expressed shock over the contents of Zakir's second legal notice.
"Shocked by contents of Zakir's second legal notice to Ramasamy, which only confirmed that Zakir is continuing to interfere in local Malaysian politics.
“There can be no place for such interference by a foreigner," he tweeted.
The Indian-born preacher's second notice of demand was related to Ramasamy's remarks in an interview with India Today.
Describing the remarks as defamatory, he gave Ramasamy 48 hours to retract his statements, publish an unreserved apology and make an offer of a reasonable sum in settlement.
However, Ramasamy said he is prepared to face the preacher in court.
Zakir, who is a Malaysian permanent resident, is currently being investigated over his remarks concerning Hindu Malaysians and Chinese Malaysians during a ceramah in Kelantan on Aug 8.
The preacher has since apologised albeit claiming that his remarks were taken out of context. - Mkini
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