Robert Kuok thanks Malaysians for having his back

KUALA LUMPUR: Billionaire Tan Sri Robert Kuok thanked Malaysians who spoke up for him over a controversy sparked by a blogger that erupted into public attacks against him.

Kuok came under severe criticism from Umno supreme council members and ministers for allegedly funding DAP and The Malaysian Insight news portal.

In a statement yesterday, he said three articles on the Malaysia Today blog containing false and baseless claims against him have been removed.

Kuok’s office has also filed a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over the offending articles.

It said the articles were false news and were clearly in violation of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

“The Complaints Bureau and MCMC acted swiftly, and on Monday ordered Malaysia Today and its author Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) to remove the articles.

“Kuok is grateful for the quick and appropriate action taken by the Complaints Bureau and the Enforcement and Investigation Division of the MCMC,” it said.

MCMC has also been urged by Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching to charge RPK with publishing false and offensive articles about Kuok.

Teo said MCMC’s order on RPK to remove the articles, stating that they violated Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, showed that the impugned articles were “false, menacing or offensive” and published with ill intentions.

“MCMC should not just order RPK to remove the articles, but they should also charge him under the same section,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Meanwhile, Communications and Multimedia minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the government will step in and restore order on the internet if bloggers and social media users fail to act responsibly.

“Don’t allow it to come to a stage where action needs to be taken,” he warned.