Anwar Ibrahim letter of demand to Utusan Malaysia

source : http://anwaribrahimblog.com

By Anwar Ibrahim

Letter of Demand to The Managing Director of Utusan Malaysia Berhad

Your Ref:
Our Ref:
Date: 3rd August 2009

The Managing Director
Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad
46M, Jalan Lima Off Jalan Chan Sow Lin
55200 Kuala Lumpur

Sir,

RE: Libelous Statement

We act for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is the Former Deputy Prime Minister and is presently the Leader of the Opposition in the Malaysian Parliament.

We are instructed that on or about 3rd August 2009, you published or caused to be published the following words that were uttered by Y.A.B Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Bin Mohd. Yassin that was published in the Utusan Malaysia newspaper under the caption:

“Anwar Pengkhianat, Putar belit fakta mengenai usaha martabatkan Melayu – Muhyiddin”

Oleh Sahbullah Darwi
Batu Pahat 2 Ogos – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin menyifatkan Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai pengkhianat besar terhadap perjuangan orang melayu.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri turut menyifatkan Anwar sebagai pemimpin lidah bercabang kerana sanggup memutarbelitkan fakta mengenai usaha UMNO untuk memartabatkan orang Melayu.

“Dulu dia pernah menjadi Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Timbalan Presiden UMNO seperti saya sekarang, tetapi dia sekarang menggunakan cara yang memperdayakan untuk memusnahkan perjuangan kita,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika merasmikan Persidangan Perwakilan UMNO Bahagian Sri Gading di Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) di sini semalam.

Muhyiddin berkata, Anwar selaku Ketua Pembangkang kini menyebarkan dakyah untuk mencipta persepsi negatif terhadap usaha UMNO dalam mempertahankan hak keistimewaan Melayu dan institusi raja.

“Dia kata kepada semua orang bahawa UMNO zalim, tetapi beritahu saya sekarang dalam cara apa yang kita zalim? Kenapa dia tidak beritahu ini semasa dia jadi pemimpin kita?” soalnya.

Beliau mendedahkan taktik pembangkang mengulangi pembohongan sehingga rakyat mempercayai penipuan itu.

“Hingga sampai ke tahap ini, orang menganggap apa yang dilakukan oleh UMNO adalah salah dan apa sahaja yang dilakukan kita tidak baik untuk rakyat.

“Maka semua kebaikan yang dpernah kita lakukan membangunkan negara sejak 50 tahun lalu tidak lagi dihargai,” katanya.

Muhyiddin mengakui UMNO bukanlah parti yang tidak pernah melakukan kesilapan namun ia telah melakukan yang terbaik untuk menghapuskan rasuah, keangkuhan dan pengurusan yang tidak cekap.

“Tiada masalah untuk mengkritik kerana kita bukan maksum tetapi saya tidak boleh terima kalau pembangkang menghina dan tidak menghormati orang Melayu,” jelasnya.

Sehubungan itu, beliau menyeru ahli dan pemimpin UMNO mengubah persepsi negatif pembangkang terhadap parti dengan terus mendekati rakyat terutama di peringkat akar umbi.

Menurutnya, pendekatan itu jika dilakukan secara berterusan akan menyedarkan rakyat terhadap perjuangan ikhlas UMNO dalam membela nasib mereka terutama bangsa Melayu.

“Kita hanya mempunyai dua tahun untuk mengubah persepsi dan imej buruk itu,” katanya.

Menurutnya, UMNO juga bukan parti yang semata-mata mahukan undi rakyat pada setiap pilihan raya, tetapi untuk membela dan membangunkan mereka.

“Tetapi disebabkan dakyah serta pelbagai tuduhan pembangkang terhadap UMNO menyebabkan timbul persepsi buruk rakyat terhadap parti sejak kebelakangan ini,” katanya.

Ekoran itu, beliau berkata, tindakan segera perlu dilaksanakan mulai sekarang bagi mengembalikan semula keyakinan tersebut agar UMNO dapat terus berjuang untuk membela mereka. (hereinafter called “the Impugned Article”).

Inter alia, the Impugned Article contained the following defamatory words published and or quoted by you about our client:

i) Batu Pahat 2 Ogos – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin menyifatkan Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai pengkhianat besar terhadap perjuangan orang melayu.

ii) Timbalan Perdana Menteri turut menyifatkan Anwar sebagai pemimpin lidah bercabang kerana sanggup memutarbelitkan fakta mengenai usaha UMNO untuk memartabatkan orang Melayu.

iii) “Dulu dia pernah menjadi Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Timbalan Presiden UMNO seperti saya sekarang, tetapi dia sekarang menggunakan cara yang memperdayakan untuk memusnahkan perjuangan kita,” katanya.

iv) Muhyiddin berkata, Anwar selaku Ketua Pembangkang kini menyebarkan dakyah untuk mencipta persepsi negatif terhadap usaha UMNO dalam mempertahankan hak keistimewaan Melayu dan institusi raja.

v) Beliau mendedahkan taktik pembangkang mengulangi pembohongan sehingga rakyat mempercayai penipuan itu.

vi) “Tiada masalah untuk mengkritik kerana kita bukan maksum tetapi saya tidak boleh terima kalau pembangkang menghina dan tidak menghormati orang Melayu,” jelasnya.

vii) “Tetapi disebabkan dakyah serta pelbagai tuduhan pembangkang terhadap UMNO menyebabkan timbul persepsi buruk rakyat terhadap parti sejak kebelakangan ini,” katanya.

The Impugned Article and the Impugned Words were and are defamatory and or libelous of our Client and in their natural and ordinary meaning and or by implication mean, meant and were understood to, inter alia, mean that:

i) Our client is a dishonest person both in his private and official capacity;
ii) Our Client is a liar;
iii) Our Client is an untrustworthy person as well as an unfit politician;
iv) Our Client is a traitor to the Malays;
v) Our Client is unfit to hold public office;
vi) Our Client is unprincipled and corrupt;
vii) Our Client has committed a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment; and
viii) Our Client is unethical.

By innuendo, the Impugned Article and the Impugned Words were and are defamatory and or libelous of our Client and in their natural and ordinary meaning and or by implication mean, meant and were understood to, inter alia, mean that:

i) Our client is a dishonest person both in his private and official capacity;
ii) Our Client is a liar;
iii) Our Client is an untrustworthy person as well as an unfit politician;
iv) Our Client is a traitor to the Malays;
v) Our Client is unfit to hold public office;
vi) Our Client is unprincipled and corrupt;
vii) Our Client has committed a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment; and
viii) Our Client is unethical.

Inter alia, our client contends the following in that, the Impugned Article and the Impugned Words published by you in respect of our client:-

a) are bereft of truth, vexatious, specious, fallacious and wholly uncalled for;
b) are and were grossly negligent, reckless, deliberate, malicious and aimed to lower our client’s esteem in the eyes of the public, both locally and internationally , and expose our client to public hatred, scorn, odium, opprobrium, contempt and ridicule;
c) are wholly untrue, motivated by malice, mala fides, distortion of facts suggesting moral and legal impropriety on the part of our client and are principally done in your pursuit of seeking cheap publicity/ sensationalism for political and other purposes; and
d) are pre-mediated and calculated to tarnish, malign, defame and seriously injure the good name and character of our client.

We are further instructed that you have republished or caused it to be republished the abovementioned Impugned Article and Impugned Words and the libelous comments.

The Impugned Words uttered and published by you in respect of our client and the comments against our client by you, amounts to a very serious libel on our client and have caused our client considerable distress and embarrassment. These Impugned Words published by you in respect of our client and comments made against our client are false, malicious and your attack on our client is wholly unjustified.

We are therefore instructed to demand from you, which we hereby do:

1) An immediate and unequivocal public retraction of the Impugned Article and the Impugned Words and the removal and retraction of all the offending and defamatory comments, forthwith;
2) An apology in the terms to be approved by us as solicitors, to be published in newspapers or media of our client’s choice;
3) An undertaking by you not to repeat the above allegations and comments as per the Impugned Words or the likes of the same;

Our client has also has instructed us to demand damages of RM100 million (Ringgit Malaysia One Hundred Million) from you for the injury caused to our client’s reputation.

Our client has also requested us to demand payment of all legal costs that has been incurred with regard to this matter.

This letter is written in accordance with pre-action protocol prior to the institution of a libel action. We look forward to hearing from you without delay. If we do not receive a satisfactory reply within seven (7) days of the receipt of this letter, our instructions are to institute legal proceedings against you. In the meantime, our client reserves all our client’s rights in this matter.

Please acknowledge receipt accordingly.

Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
S.N. NAIR & PARTNERS

c.c client.