GEORGE TOWN: A journalist today defended a news article he wrote based on a conversation with a consumer activist who is being sued for defamation by former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy.
Ian Gerard McIntyre said he had written articles in the past based on his interactions with K Koris Atan.
“Those in the Penang press corps respect and seek Koris’s opinions since he is a key civil society leader and a consumer activist,” McIntyre, of The Vibes, testified in the sessions court here this morning.
He said this when cross-examined by Koris’s lawyer, P Thannarasu, who had suggested that the telephone conversation between his client and McIntyre was “private and not intended for publication”.
Thannarasu also said the article was produced without obtaining Koris’s permission.
However, during re-examination, Ramasamy’s lawyer, Shamsher Singh Thind, asked McIntyre if Koris had ever said the conversation was off the record, to which he replied “no”.
Ramasamy sued Koris, The Vibes and McIntyre last year, claiming the article portrayed him as irresponsible and neglectful of community needs, thereby damaging his reputation.
This was after Koris allegedly claimed that Ramasamy, the Penang Hindu Endowments Board chairman at the time, had neglected to introduce facilities such as an elevator or cable car to allow the disabled and elderly folk to access the hilltop Murugan temple here during Thaipusam.
The article, published on Feb 17, 2023, alleged that while appeals to the state government had “fallen on deaf ears”, it had introduced a golden chariot, in addition to the existing traditional silver chariot which leads a procession from town until the Waterfall.
Koris, who is also the president of the Penang Consumer Protection Association, defended his statements, citing a proposal from a Japanese firm to build a cable car at a cost which he had personally communicated to Ramasamy.
The Vibes and McIntyre settled the suit with Ramasamy last May, agreeing to a consent judgment that included removing the disputed article and issuing an apology.
Ramasamy is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages from Koris.
Lawyer S Raveentharan also appeared for Ramasamy.
The hearing before sessions court judge Nasir Nordin continues on July 17. - FMT
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