My comment about Chow fair as ‘CAT went missing’, says businessman

 

(From left) Businessman Tan Kok Ping denied that his criticism of Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow was offensive, while former state deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy said his testimony was not influenced by bitterness.

GEORGE TOWN: 

Businessman Tan Kok Ping has denied defaming Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow when calling him 

incompetent, ignorant and shameless

 at a press conference held last year on the sale of a plot of industrial land in Batu Kawan.

Instead, Tan said the remarks were fair comment, given that the land was sold below its market value and the Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2 (BKIP2) was awarded to a company without a sufficient financial standing.

Chow is suing Tan over the remarks, saying they injured his reputation both in his official and personal capacities. He claimed Tan’s statement implied he was incompetent, unfit and unqualified to be chief minister.

“This company with a RM10 million paid up capital wants to do a RM10 billion (gross development value) project, with no open tender (conducted). That is why we spoke out.

(Chow) claims to advocate the CAT principles (competency, accountability and transparency) (but) this CAT has gone missing,

 Tan said via a Mandarin interpreter.

Tan, who is also the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) honorary life president, defended his decision to hold a press conference to call out the chief minister.

He said the PCCC had followed The Edge’s reporting into the land deal and had taken note of alleged 

non-answers

 given by Chow when questioned over the matter.

Cross-examined by lawyer Simon Murali, representing Chow, Tan denied that his actions were motivated by malice.

Simon had claimed The Edge’s reporting was published on the same day the land sale was called off, and said it was largely premised on hearsay.

In response, Tan said The Edge was a widely read publication and that the press conference was warranted as the PCCC felt it necessary to correct a misstep by the state government.

Tan also denied Simon’s suggestion that his use of the Mandarin term 

wu chǐ

 (meaning 

shameless

) to describe Chow was offensive as it carried a deep insult and was doubly offensive when directed at someone in a position of authority.

In his testimony earlier, Chow had told the court that 

wu chi

 was rarely used by the Chinese community and, when directed at someone, suggests deep hatred and enmity.

For the Chinese and as a Chinese myself, such a word is used to humiliate and insult someone in the worst possible way – to shame them to death,

 Chow had testified.

I’m not bitter, says ex-deputy CM

Former Penang deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy, who sat on the Penang Development Corporation’s (PDC) board when in office, also took the stand as a defence witness.

He denied that the land sale was cleared by a sub-committee of the PDC.

“No way the sub-committee agreed to sell it to Umech Construction or Umech Land.

PDC was not prepared to sell the land as there was no information from the due diligence exercise given to them. It was never endorsed in the board meeting and no decision was made to sell the land,

 he said when cross-examined by Simon.

Ramasamy said Chow’s claim that the deal had gone through the scrutiny of the sub-committee was a 

total misrepresentation

.

He also denied that his evidence was influenced by bitterness over DAP’s decision to drop him as a candidate for the Penang state elections last year.

“My dream was to start an alternative party. I am not against DAP but I was against the direction it was taking. And in this land deal, too.

I have nothing to be bitter about against anyone, including Chow, we had a good working relationship,

 he said.

Justice Quay Chew Soon will hear closing submissions on Oct 15 and will deliver his decision by Dec 3.

Tan was represented by K Kirubakaran, Kek Boon Wei and Lee Wen Qian, while Kok Yuen Lin also appeared for Chow. - FMT