I wish to confirm having received instructions from Iskandar Puteri MP and DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang to commence legal proceedings against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tun Hanif Omar in light of the latter’s failure to explain and prove his outrageous claim that the DAP had, amongst others, wanted Malaysia to be split into two, the West Coast for the Chinese and the East Coast for the Malays following the 1969 riots.
Hanif’s further claim that he had put Lim behind bars as a result is a clear insinuation on his part that Lim was responsible for such a demand and apart from being highly defamatory of Lim, is also possibly seditious.
Hanif has not responded or denied making the said statement despite Lim’s ultimatum for him to do so within 48 hours which ended at 12.30pm today.
In the circumstances, I will take the necessary steps to initiate such legal proceedings by issuing a letter of demand to Hanif which will be served on him after the holidays on Wednesday (12.9.2018) for him to, inter alia, apologise and retract his said statement and further, to propose a sum in damages to be agreed upon by parties within fourteen (14) days from the date of the said letter of demand failing which, legal proceedings will be commenced against him for such defamatory comments.
I also urge the police to investigate Hanif for sedition as there can be no doubt that his said statement has a tendency to pit one race against another, namely the Malays against the Chinese.
I wish to reiterate Lim’s instructions that Hanif’s allegations are utterly baseless and were made with the sole intention of discrediting Lim which has subjected him to unwarranted public odium.