Lee could face Malaysian suit over statement
Lee could face Malaysian suit over statement
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): A Malaysian political youth group
yesterday said it may sue Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew
for libel, adding potential injury to the insults they heaped on
him a day earlier.
In a rare public apology, Lee, 73, said Thursday he was sorry
for saying the Malaysian state of Johor was "notorious for
shootings, muggings and car-jackings".
The remark, made in a court affidavit in a libel suit by Lee
against Singapore opposition leader Tang Liang Hong, sparked a
day of protests Thursday in which Malaysian youths waved placards
calling Lee "stupid", "senile" and a "bloody idiot".
"Pemuda (youth) accepts the apology, but at the same time is
still considering legal action," the United Malays National
Organization (UMNO) youth media officer Hanafiah Man said.
"We are getting legal advice from our panel of lawyers whether
we have grounds to sue," Hanafiah said. "Pemuda is serious
because we do not want it to be repeated."
Meanwhile Malaysian opposition parties yesterday demanded
Singapore senior minister Lee Kuan Yew retract fully his
criticisms of Johor, saying his apology was a half-measure.
The Democratic Action Party called for Lee to withdraw his
statement, saying "Lee cannot expect the feelings of Malaysians
to be appeased by merely issuing an apology."
"An apology without withdrawing the remarks is only a half-
measure," said DAP's deputy secretary general Lim Guan Eng.
Another opposition group, the Parti Rakyat Malaysia, demanded
Lee expunge the offending paragraphs in his sworn affidavit which
were still in black and white if he was sincere in his apology.
Malaysia's Mahathir, 71, a contemporary of Lee's dating back
to the time when both countries were united in the Malaysian
Federation, said Lee's apology was a small step in the right
direction.
Mahathir said he would consult the cabinet on whether to
pursue the matter further. "But personally, I am not inclined to
do anything," he said.
The Star newspaper yesterday quoted UMNO youth wing chairman
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as saying the group would go ahead with a
libel suit to ensure no other Singapore leader repeated the
offense against Malaysia.
"To quote (Indonesia's late president) Sukarno, if all wrong-
doing can be forgiven easily, there would be no need for heaven
or hell."
Lee made his controversial comments in a sworn affidavit Jan.
27 in proceedings against opposition politician Tang, who fled to
Johor Baru immediately after losing his race for parliament in
Singapore's general elections.
When the affidavit came to light Wednesday, after Tang's
lawyers released it to the media, Malaysia officially demanded an
apology and a retraction of the remarks.
A statement of apology issued by Lee's office said he had not
been to Johor since 1990 and the affidavit reflected "his
perception based on reports he had read in the press. It was
unfortunate that subsequently it became public".