GEORGE TOWN: A book detailing Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’s development over
the last 40 years was launched here after a Gerakan member failed to obtain an
interim injunction from a Kuala Lumpur High Court to stop the launching.
The book, titled Non-Sectarian Politics in Malaysia: The Case of Parti
Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, was launched at 4.15pm yesterday at the E & O Hotel
here after Chia Loong Thye failed to get the injunction earlier in the day.
Chia, a law firm partner and the Penang Gerakan legal aid bureau chief who stood
as a Barisan Nasional candidate in the Tanjung Bungah state seat here in the
March 8 general election, had alleged that the book defamed him in his
application for the injunction.
He also failed to get an order to prevent the book's authors, Neil Khor Jin
Keong and Khoo Kay Peng, publisher Trafalgar Publishing House Sdn Bhd and
printer Setiakawan Printers Sdn Bhd from further publishing and selling the
book.
In dismissing the application, High Court Justice Abdul Wahab Patail said:
“Although the plaintiff is a senior lawyer and a qualified mediator, his own
voluntary involvement in politics preclude him from relying on this
qualification from stopping the book's launch.”
The judge ruled that the merits of the suit were not before him and that the
decision on the application was based on pleading (a formal statement) and
submissions by the parties.
Justice Abdul Wahab also dismissed an application for an Erinford injunction (an
injunction pending disposal of an appeal against the court decision) by Chia's
lawyer Bahari Yeow Tien Hong.
In an affidavit-in-support of his application dated July 29, Chia said the book
purports to be an account of the history, development and present status of
Gerakan.
Chia said that a particular page was highly defamatory of him. He said the
offending words in the book portrayed him as a person who lacked integrity. The
words, he said, also implied that he had betrayed the party and could not be
trusted with the leadership of Gerakan.
Met after the book launch, Khoo said the book had never been about an individual
person.
“It tells the story of Gerakan over the last 40 years.
“I definitely don’t buy the accusations brought against us because if I want to
write something to defame someone, I would write the entire book about him.
“It cannot be a defamatory book if only one sentence out of 186 pages speaks
about him. That's a very poor attempt at defaming someone.”
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Circular No 102/2012: Mahkamah Sesyen/Majistret Kajang Moving to Kompleks Mahkamah Kajang
