Is the Sarawak Chief Minister suing Japan Times in Japan?

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Is the Sarawak Chief Minister suing Japan Times in Japan, a country with an independent judiciary and unquestioned respect for the rule of law

Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Friday): Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud should not pick on Malaysiakini by threatening legal action but take on Japan Times in Japan, when Japan Times is the original source of the story of alleged corruption against him. Is Taib suing Japan Times in Japan, a country with an independent judiciary and unquestioned respect for the rule of law.

For Taib not to sue Japan Times but only Malaysiakini would be puzzling when Malaysiakini is only reporting the original story by Japan Times. Japan Times news report on March 29 entitled ‘Wood carriers allegedly hid 1.1 billion yen income’ alleged a RM 32 million ringgit ‘commission’ was paid by 9 Japanese shipping companies over a period of seven years to a Hong Kong company said to be linked to Taib and his family.

This was uncovered by Japanese tax authorities who deemed the payments made by the shipping companies as ‘illegitimate expenses’ since the Hong Kong agency, believed to be a paper company, did little ‘substantive work’ to justify the payments. According to tax authorities, the shipping companies had tried to disguise the payments as ‘business expenses’ to avoid tax.

Malaysiakini lauded for its unstinting courage and unyielding principled stand in defending press freedom and right to publish news of public interest

DAP lauds Malaysiakini for being unstinting courage and unyielding principled stand in defending press freedom and the right to publish news of public interest without fear or favour and regardless whether it offends the high and mighty. Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan promised to fight the law suit as journalists have a duty to report on such matters, which is of public interest.

Too few journalists have that courage to defend the truth or the right of freedom to publish or even carry out investigative journalism. Instead the mainstream media has been frozen with real and imagined fears to the extent that self-censorship has been refined to such an art that the censors could not do a better job.

DAP considers it both refreshing and inspiring to hear the defiant words of Steven Gan who said the threatened law suit by Taib was aimed at muzzling malaysiakini. Steven Gan reiterated,

“If by filing the law suit, Taib hopes to intimidate us, he is dead wrong. When we go to court, we have a long list of witnesses whom we plan to call - starting with the ACA and Japan’s tax authorities.”

DAP fully endorses such sentiments. I have spoken to DAP lawyers, including DAP National Chair and renowned legal lion Karpal Singh, who have agreed with the party's commitment to offer our legal services and aid to Malaysiakini to fight this lawsuit by Taib. DAP is carrying out this commitment to Malaysiakini not solely for Malaysiakini but for press freedom in the internet. Public interest requires that this mother of all court battles between Malaysiakini and Taib must be won to preserve what is left of freedom of information for Malaysia in cyberspace.

(20/4/2007)

* Lim Guan Eng, Secretary-General of DAP