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The claim by former Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik, that the DAP had apologized openly to him in the High Court as reported in the China Press on 22 October, 2003 at the page A10 is highly mischievous and misleading   Press Statement by Karpal Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday):  The claim by former Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik, that the DAP had apologized openly to him in the High Court as reported in the China Press on 22 October, 2003 at the page A10 is highly mischievous and misleading.  As defence counsel for the DAP, Dr Chen Man Hin and Lim Kit Siang, I was responsible for having been party to the negotiations wth Rahim’s lawyers culminating in my reading out the agreed statement in open court.   I must make it clear, during the negotiations, Rahim’s lawyers had earlier demanded a retraction of the statements published by the DAP and an apology for the distress caused to Rahim and his family. The DAP had rejected this demand as retraction of the statements published in the book entitled “Lim Guan Eng – MP in Jail” and the Poster and an apology, did not arise.   Nowhere in my statement is there any mention of retraction or apology.   The DAP merely acknowledged that the allegations against Rahim no longer existed in view of the DAP at the material time believing the said allegations to be true based on the statements made by Pendek bte Ahmad to Lim Guan Eng and Noryati bte Mohamed Yusop and Assistant Commissioner of Police Mok at the High Court, Melaka in Criminal Trial Nos: 45-2-1995 and 45-3-1995 (Pendakwa Raya v Lim Guan Eng) and in view of subsequent events, in particular, the retraction of the allegations by Noryati bte Mohamed Yusop under oath by way of a Statutory Declaration and the fact that similar allegations by Time Magazine and Asiaweek had resulted in an apology being given to Rahim. It was in view of these considerations that the DAP felt the said allegations were wholly unfounded.   All that the DAP did, through the  statement read by me in open court, was to acknowledge that these unfortunate events had caused all parties, including Rahim and his family, great distress and anguish.   I must stress in the statement agreed to, the inclusion of the phrase “all parties concerned” was because not only Rahim and his family had suffered great distress and anguish, other parties, including Lim Guan Eng and his family, Noryati bte Mohamed Yusop and her family, Mohamad Yusop and his family and Pendek bte Ahmad and her family had likewise suffered great distress and anguish.   Clearly, therefore, Rahim’s statement to China Press that the DAP had apologized to him openly in the High Court is baseless and amounts to dissemination of false views, apart from being in contempt of court.   I call upon Rahim, under the circumstances, to take the necessary steps to put the record straight or face the consequences. The DAP acted in good faith in agreeing to the statement read out by me in open court on 21 October, 2003. Rahim should not attempt to deviate from the sting and substance of the statement I read out in open court on behalf of the DAP. That statement does not include any retraction or apology. This must be clearly understood. (29/10/2003) * Karpal Singh, DAP Deputy National Chairman