By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 23: Democratic Action Party (DAP) members and supporters from the Kuching area have pledged their support for the party’s Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen in pursuing an appeal following the High Court’s ruling in favour of Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian in his defamation suit against Chong.
In a joint statement, they affirmed their respect for Malaysia’s judicial system and recognised that all legal disputes should be addressed through established judicial processes.
“As the case in question has entered the appeal stage, we believe it is appropriate for the relevant legal and constitutional principles to be further examined at a higher level,” they said.
They maintained that the case did not arise from a private dispute, but from what they claimed were issues of public governance and livelihood during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in 2020, in which society faced unprecedented challenges.
At the same time, they also noted that during a period when many were facing food insecurity and livelihood pressures, society holds higher expectations of public office holders, particularly those within the executive branch.
In Chong’s capacity as an elected representative and opposition leader, they elaborated that he was fulfilling his constitutional duty by questioning the implementation of assistance measures.
“We support Chong Chieng Jen’s decision to pursue an appeal so that the legal questions and principles surrounding public accountability can be further clarified,” they said.
In the ruling on Monday (Dec 22), the court awarded Dr Sim RM350,000 in general and aggravated damages for defamation, RM50,000 in general damages for malicious falsehood, and RM100,000 in costs. — DayakDaily
