Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi
Several police reports were lodged against Utusan Malaysia for its article on Saturday which claimed the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to replace Islam as the official religion of Malaysia, and to pave the way for a Christian prime minister.
Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi, who was named in the article and in a blog as the DAP leader who had organised the May 5 meeting with Christian pastors at Red Rock Hotel on Jalan Macalister, where the Christian agenda was allegedly agreed upon, lodged a report against Utusan and blogger Zakir Mohamad at the George Town district police headquarters today.
Ooi has categorically denied the claims made in Utusan and in the blog, bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com.
“I was only invited to the event,” the DAP central executive committee member said today. “The dinner was part of the seminar which talked about eradicating bribery, corruption and abuse of power,” he added.
Ooi said that the case should be investigated under section 499 of the Penal Code for defamation.
“I hope the police will take action against the daily and the blogger for the sake of the people,” Ooi told reporters after lodging the report.
Ooi also asked the daily to issue an open apology within 24 hours, and that he will go to Christian and Buddhist leaders around the state to explain to them what had actually happened.
Later in the afternoon, several state Umno Youth divisions also lodged six police reports against Ooi at the same police station in George Town, calling on the police to investigate the case.
The group of some 30 Penang Umno Youth was led by their chief Shaik Hussein Mydin, who called on the police to investigate if there was any truth to the matter.
In Kuala Lumpur, DAP’s Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng lodged a police report against Utusan over the same article.
Lim, who was accompanied by PAS and PKR members, lodged the police report at the Sentul district police headquarters at Jinjang Utara at 8.45am.
He spent more than an hour giving his statement to the police before leaving at about 12.30pm.
“This is a baseless article which has slandered the DAP. It has provocative and seditious contents which are aimed at causing unrest among the races in the country.
“We urge the police to investigate Utusan Malaysia and its editors under the Sedition Act, Printing Press and Publications Act and other available laws for the offences,” said Lim.
Lim said if the police do not investigate his report within a month, he will lodge a report with the Attorney-General Chambers as stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code.
Lim said Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su has also lodged a police report on the matter in Ipoh.
Sentul police chief ACP Zakaria Pagan, who confirmed the report was lodged, said police will investigate the matter.
