DAP calls off boycott campaign against Kin Kwok daily News

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader , DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, on Monday, 27th July 1981:

DAP calls off boycott campaign against Kin Kwok daily News

The DAP accept the front-page apology to the Party and party leaders by the Kin Kwok Daily News today for its baseless and malicious campaign to character-assassinate the Party and Party leaders early this year.

As I said in May: “Every newspaper exercises power over the readers, and such power must be coupled with responsibility. The DAP is not afraid of criticism and comment about DAP leaders and the party, but when a newspaper for reasons only known to itself embark on a sustained campaign to character-assassinate DAP leaders and destroy the DAP, based on lies and falsehoods, then such a newspaper had abused its public trust in exercising its power without responsibility.”

As a result of the Kin Kwok Daily News’ sustained campaign to besmirch the credibility and character of the party and party leaders, on May 13, 1981, the DAP started a nation-wide campaign to get Kin Kwok Daily News readers to boycott the paper.

The campaign against Kin Kwok included:

1. Boycott Kin Kwok Daily News from all DAP Functions;
2. Boycott Kin Kwok Daily News by not giving press statements, announcements and speeches of DAP leaders, officials, etc. to it;
3. All DAP members to boycott Kin Kwok, whether buying the newspaper or advertising in it;
4. To launch a national campaign to expose the Kin Kwok’s attempt to character-assassinate DAP leaders and to persuade the people to boycott the Kin Kwok, both in buying the newspaper and from advertising in it as a protest.

With the unreserved front-page apology by Kin Kwok Daily News to the DAP and DAP leaders for the unfounded allegations and charges regarding the character and credibility of DAP and DAP leaders, the DAP hereby with immediate effect calls off the nation-wide campaign against Kin Kwok Daily News and lift the four-point offensive against Kin Kwok.

However, as the Kin Kwok Daily News had caused grave damage to the character and reputation of Sdr. Lim Cho Hock and Sdri. Loke Swee Chin in a baseless and unfounded article, which has been the subject of libel actions by Sdr. Lim Cho Hock and Sdri. Loke Swee Chin against Kin Kwok Daily News, Kin Kwok Daily News realises and admits that both actions had to be settled separately. This settlement therefore shall not prejudice the rights of Sdr. Lim and Sdri. Loke in respect of their libel actions against Kin Kwok Daily News.