By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Oct 19: In the defamation suit by Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations president Dato Richard Wee over DAP’s Michael Kong’s Facebook post on July 21, 2020, the defendant Kong agreed that on the alleged defamatory Facebook post made by him, he had signed off as a special assistant to Chong Chieng Jen and he signed off as special assistant to Chong in most of his press statement regarding political matters.
However, he disagreed with counsel when asked if he had signed off as a special assistant to Chong in the alleged Facebook post because such an issue was important to DAP.
During the cross-examination by counsel for the plaintiff Shankar Ram, Kong who is also special assistant to Chong said he signed off as a special assistant to indicate his political position within DAP and that it did not mean that the issue contained in his statement is important to DAP or that he is issuing the statement on behalf of Chong.
He also agreed that DAP had not called any meeting with its leaders to discuss any issue on what the plaintiff had said in The Borneo Post on July 20, 2020.
He further told the Court that the alleged Facebook post is not a statement for DAP or
a political position or stance of DAP, and that there was no need to call for a meeting among the party’s leaders.
He said that there was only a need to call for a meeting between DAP leaders if it involves “big ticket items” and or national policies.
“A failure to call for a meeting does not mean that it is not a matter of public interest.
“For example, there are many occasion where members of the public approached me for food aid assistance or assistance in terms of legal advice or welfare assistance. Just because I did not call for a meeting with DAP leaders to discuss or deliberate such matters does not mean that they are not matters which are of public interest,” Kong said.
When being asked if he had called Chong for his views on what he was going to post, he said he did not seek Chong’s view about the statement.
However, he said Chong was aware that he was about to issue such a statement and Chong merely asked him to think about it and to factcheck before moving ahead with the issuance of such a statement.
Wee was represented by Counsels Shakar Ram, Yu Ying Ying and Russel Lim whereas Kong was represented by Counsels Chong Siew Chiang, Chong Chieng Jen, Sim Kiat Leng and Brenda Chong. — DayakDaily
