DAP stalwarts, PAS MP to have court-advised mediation

DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng and two other party heavyweights as well as PAS lawmaker Siti Mastura Muhammad are scheduled for court-advised mediation today to try to resolve the trio's defamation suits against her.

Counsel Sankara Nair, who is acting for Guan Eng, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, confirmed with Malaysiakini that the Penang High Court in Georgetown had advised parties to attempt mediation.

The lawsuit is over an allegation that the DAP trio have blood ties with a communist and a former Singapore prime minister.

Sankara said the Penang State Court Mediation Centre has scheduled mediation for the three plaintiffs and the defendant via three separate sessions.

The session will start at 11am where Siti Mastura will meet with Kit Siang, then at 12pm with Guan Eng, and 2.30pm with Kok.

DAP’s Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang, and Teresa Kok

Siti Mastura's counsel Mohd Faizi Che Abu also confirmed the matter.

Previously, the civil court set nine days in September for the full trial of the lawsuits.

Civil actions

On Nov 27 last year, Guan Eng, Kit Siang and Kok filed civil actions against Siti Mastura.

The three lawsuits are over the defendant’s speech at a Kemaman by-election campaign event at Dewan Berlian, Majlis Perbandaran Kemaman, on Nov 4.

Siti Mastura claimed that the three DAP leaders were related to Communist Party of Malaya leader Ong Boon Hua, popularly known by his nom de guerre Chin Peng, and Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

The plaintiffs seek general, compensatory, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as an injunction to restrain the defendant from further uttering the allegation.

Previously, the media reported Siti Mastura in her statement of defence claiming that her remarks were based on legitimate “facts” contained in a handbook, which she said was a reliable source.

However, in the DAP trio's reply filed in court, the plaintiffs contended that doctorate holder Siti Mastura should have double-checked and not relied on a debunked source over the blood ties allegation. - Mkini