Dr Sim’s defamation suit trial: Pending rep disagrees to claim of Chong’s FB post referring to plaintiff
The trial of the legal suit filed by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian against Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen regarding the Covid-19 food aid drive continued yesterday with its fourth defendant witness, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong.
In a cross-examination by Dr Sim’s counsel Shankar Ram Asnani, Yong disagreed when Shankar put it to her that the accusation in Chieng Jen’s first Facebook post turned around and alleged that the funds were turned into a weapon to be used by politicians from the Sarawak parties’ coalition to threaten and ‘make a fool out of the people’.
Shankar Ram: The defendant’s first Facebook post dated April 15, 2020, clearly referred and concerned the plaintiff.
Yong: I disagree.
Shankar Ram: The accusation by the defendant in his first Facebook post dated April 15, 2020, clearly stated that Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) had cut-off the funding meant for DAP state assemblymen, and
that a state assemblyman of SUPP received RM200,000 fund allocation and even the RM200,000 meant for the other opposition’s constituencies and controlled the funds of up to RM1million.
Yong: The question is too long. The accusation by the defendant in his first Facebook post dated April 15, 2020, clearly stated that SUPP and GPS had cut-off the funding meant for DAP state assemblymen, I will answer first. For this, I only agree that GPS
had cut-off. The rest, I agree it is correct.
Yong also disagreed when Shankar Ram put it to her that she was biased towards the defendant (Chieng Jen) by saying he was a helpful and kind person, and that he had helped a lot of people who need help and that he came from kind family.
In 2020, Dr Sim, who is SUPP president, filed the defamation suit over Chieng Jen’s allegation that the deputy premier had failed to manage food aid funds worth RM800,000 meant for four opposition-held state constituencies: Padungan, Batu Lintang, Pending and Kota Sentosa.
Dr Sim is represented by counsels Shankar Ram, Yu Ying Ying and Russell Lim, while Chong is represented by Michael Kong, Sharon Lo, Brenda Chong and Chong Siew Chiang. The case was heard before Judge Dr Alwi Abdul Wahab.