by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, March 5, 1994:
Andrew Neil’s clarification has strengthened Mahathir’s case for legal action against Londor Sunday Times
The clarification by the editor of London Sunday Times, Andrew Neil that his newspaper at no stage had claimed that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had sought a bribe or was paid one has strengthened Mahathir’s case for legal action against London Sunday Times.
In rejecting the clarification, Mahathir said the London Sunday Times report implied that he was corrupt. Mahathir should all the more institute legal action against London Sunday Times as he has found the clarification inadequate and unacceptable.
If Mahathir institute legal proceedings against London Sunday Times, this will not be his first legal action against the foreign media as Prime Minister. In 1987, Mahathir successfully sued the Far Eastern Economic Review for a report that he was prepared to give Limbang to Brunei.
Although the London Sunday Times report of 20th February 1994 on George Wimpey International is very serious because of the allegations of corruption at the highest political levels in Malaysia, it should not be the cause for a trade sanctions against Britain as Mahathir has the remedy to clear his name by instituting legal action.
For the past few months, the British media have carried numerous reports and exposes about abuses of power, lack of accountability and misrule of the British government, Malaysians. are not concerned as to ‘whether the British government had acted illegally in linking aids with arms, or whether it had misled the British Parliament, However, Malaysians must be concerned about British media reports touching Malaysia, especially concerning several projects and business deals which raise questions of accountability, propriety and integrity of the Malaysian government .
It is for this reason that the DAP has called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate into all issues, projects and business deals where questions about accountability, propriety and integrity of the Malaysian Government had been raised – not in the British interest, but in the Malaysian interest.