This
Amended
Defence
is
amended pursuant to Order 20 rule
3 Rules of the High Court 1980 on
IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT KUALA LUMPUR
(CIVIL DIVISION)
SUIT NO. S3-23-2 of 2007
BETWEEN
1.
THE NEW STRAITS TIMES PRESS (MALAYSIA) BERHAD
(Company No.4485-H)
2.
DATO’ KALIMULLAH BIN MASHEERUL HASSAN
3.
DATO’ HISHAMUDDIN BIN AUN
4.
DATO' SYED FAISAL ALBAR BIN SYED A. R. ALBAR
5.
BRENDEN JOHN A/L JOHN PEREIRA
…PLAINTIFFS
AND
AHIRUDIN BIN ATTAN
…DEFENDANT
AMENDED STATEMENT OF CLAIM
1.
The 1st plaintiff is a public company listed on the Bursa Malaysia
and has a registered address at Balai Berita, No. 31, Jalan Riong
59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1st plaintiff’s primary business
is the publishing and selling of newspapers, examples of which are
6
the New Straits Times and the New Sunday Times (the “English
Dailies”). The 1st plaintiff is also the publisher of the Malay Mail,
Weekend Mail, Berita Harian, Berita Minggu, Harian Metro and the
Metro Ahad (collectively referred to, with the English Dailies, as the
“Newspapers”).
2.
The Straits Times, as it was then known, was first published in
1845. The News Straits Times, as it is now known, is therefore one
of the oldest newspapers in the country. By virtue of the fact that the
1st plaintiff publishes the Newspapers, the 1st plaintiff is Malaysia’s
largest newspaper publisher.
3.
The 2nd plaintiff is an individual having an address at No. 22A, Jalan
USJ 2/6H UEP Subang Jaya 47610 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The 2nd
plaintiff was at all material times the Deputy Chairman of the 1st
plaintiff. The 2nd Plaintiff is usually referred to as Dato’ Kalimullah
Hassan.
4.
The 3rd plaintiff is an individual with an address at No. 34, Jalan
Dam 13/21, Seksyen 13, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor. The 3rd
plaintiff was as at 27.6.2006 a director of the 1st plaintiff and at all
material times the Group-Editor-in-Chief of the 1st plaintiff.
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5.
The 4th plaintiff is an individual with an address at No. 8, Lorong
PJU 3/15B, Damansara Indah 47410 Petaling Jaya. The 4th plaintiff
is a director and Chief Executive Officer of the 1st plaintiff.
6.
The 5th plaintiff is an individual having an address at 7, Jalan 17/60,
46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. The 5th
plaintiff was at all material times the Group Editor of the New
Straits Times and the director of English Publications with the 1st
plaintiff. The 5th plaintiff is known variously as “Brendan Pereira”
and “Brendan John Pereira”.
7.
The defendant is an individual holding NRIC No. 611220-04-5271
and A. 1889395 and with an address No. 307, BK2/7, Bandar
Kinrara 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan. The defendant
holds himself out as a journalist and an editorial consultant.
8.
The defendant was at one point in time an Executive Editor of the
Malay Mail and Sunday Mail, and was, at all material times,
President of the National Press Club.
9.
On or around 13.2.2006, the defendant accepted the terms of a
voluntary separation scheme made by the 1st plaintiff and thereby
left the 1st plaintiff’s employ.
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Rocky’s Bru weblog cum website
10.
The defendant set up or caused to be set up an online weblog cum
website located on the world wide web under the title ‘Rocky’s
Bru’.
11.
At all material times, that weblog cum website could be accessed by
any user of the world wide web by means of an internet connection,
at
the
following
uniform
resource
locator:
http://rockybru.blogspot.com/. The plaintiffs will refer to this
weblog cum website as the “Rocky’s Bru weblog” hereinafter.
12.
The defendant is responsible for and has control of all articles,
journals, letters, comments, posts and statements that he chooses for
publication on the Rocky’s Bru weblog.
The posts put up on the Rocky’s Bru weblog
13.
Between the period of 8.6.2006 to 23.12.2006, the defendant
published, caused to be published and continues to publish the
following posts on the Rocky’s Bru weblog, the contents of which
are defamatory of each of the plaintiffs and any combination of each
of them.
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14.
The defendant has published and/or caused to be published the
following posts and/or comments of and concerning the 1st plaintiff
which are defamatory (the bold and highlighted passages being
defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
A post entitled “Erasing Dr M” dated 8.6.2006:-
(i) 14.1
“ERASING DR M
Bandit, a visitor to this blog, wrote this paragraph in a longish comment he left in response to my last posting (FOR
ADULTS ONLY?).
..."In the meantime, let's not ignore the true mission of the
NST 2004-2006 Edition: it is painstakingly trying to
deconstruct all facets of Mahathirism. If possible, they are
undertaking historic revisionism and erasing all the good
that Dr M did but boosting all the bad he committed, if ever."
Try placing the paragraph in the perspective of Dr Mahathir
Mohamad's outburst against his successor and our Prime
Minister yesterday.”
14.1.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Erasing Dr M” dated
8.6.2006 (bold and highlighted passages being
defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
519087-2
A comment by “General Tojo” at 1.32 p.m.:-
10
“General Tojo said...
zorro, I agree with you. The spinners are at work. We should not honour
them with such titles as spinmasters or spinmeisters. They are half-past six
middle-ranking ex-foreign correspondents and sports writers. Please don't
smear the memories of great nst/bh editors like Tan Sri Lee and Tan Sri
Nordin Sophie.
They people are not even in the league of Captain Jack Sparrow. At least
was honourable. But these people hujacked the PM and poisoned him
mind on the Old Man. Mr Pereira, being ex-Straits Times journalist never
liked the Old Man. Kali is the lallang in the wind. He goes where the wind
blows and where there's money to be made. But the real power, I think, is
Khairy Jamaluddin. He sleeps with the PM's daughter (halal of course) in
Seri Perdana. It does not surprime me if his company or kaki got the contract
to renovate Seri Perdana. He is the puppet master to Kali, Brendan, Hisham
and the spineless Umno Youth chief.
1:32 PM”
(ii) 14.2
A post entitled “Butchers in the Newsroom” dated
13.6.2006:-
“BUTCHERS IN THE NEWSROOM
I knew Syed Nadzri or Zainul Ariffin, in their widely-read
columns in the NST, would not touch on the Dr Mahathir-Pak
Lah saga. Syed wrote about the PAS muktamar in his column
yesterday and Zainul gave us his shot on the issue of guns re
the bullet-ridden National Service.
My guesses are: the two senior editors were told to lay off the
subject OR they disqualified themselves from writing. Both are
known to have extremely high regards for Dr Mahathir and
the greatest of hopes for Pak Lah (and if their columns were to
reflect this, they'd certainly upset the tone set in The Sunday
Column's crying-daughter editorial, to borrow the phrase used
by Free Thinker, a visitor to this blog).
Either way, I am glad they did not have to do anything they did
not want to do which might tarnish their integrity and
519087-2
11
professionalism as journalists.
I'm sure many journalists at NST are glad, too,that they still
have editors who do not doctor the facts and who do not
butcher their reports to propagate certain issues and who do
not tamper with their straight-news reporting to promote
their own agenda.
Some of these journalists can't stomach the spin-doctoring
any more. They want Hishamuddin Aun, the Group Editorin-Chief, to put a stop to the practice.
"They are not just butchering our stories, they are
butchering our names," one NST journalist told me.
p.s. Brendan Pereira's column was also missing last Monday.
What's the story?”
14.2.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Butchers In the
Newsroom” dated 13.6.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by “mustang” at 1.13 p.m.:-
“mustang said...
goodness. my dear bro. no wonder KMH ordered yr blog to be firewalled.
(and here, i am sure it is kmh who ordered it. Not hishamudin. hishamudin
probably sent a few comments himself and enjoys reading yr postings and the
comments. As for kmh .just read below)
just look at the comments. Kmh sure has a lot of people who hate him. Jeez....
The way i see it... most of the comments are from people who are angry at the
way kmh has been running the NST. As for his minions (those he brought into
the NST), I think they are just doing his bidding. Poor souls..
I think most of the people who spend time going into your blog and posting
519087-2
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comments are generally so sad at what has become of the NST, at least at
how the NST has been projected by KMH and at how he his using the
paper to promote his business and that of his friends and those he is so
beholden to.
i know someone said that you should be really worried if you are promoted
(by Kmh or under his regime). Because if Kmh thinks you are good,
well....you shouldnt believe it. you know he is NOT a journalist by any
standard. he stopped being a journalist a very long time ago and decided to
take the job as GEIC because it is a very powerful position. KMH, without
AAB, KJ, and his position in the NST is really, a nobody. Even the millions
(of ringgit) that he has now, cannot make him anymore than just a
businessman, without that NST position.
Besides, someone like kmh, clearly not a brave person, cannot qualify to be
an editor. Editors go through a lot. they get battered, bruised.. they have
fought battles. they get whacked here there and everywhere....
well, kmh.... i dont think so. he hides behind people. he let others take the
fall.
so NSTman.... dont fret... dont get so angry. let the buggers get angry. let
them write whatever. anyway, rocky bro, so nice.. lets u have your say too.
and anonymous.. who you,aah? so rocky bro... have you moved on? mr
anonymous, read lah careflly rocky bro's posting. he just "cucuk" sikit. the
thing is.. i sure heard a lot of things about you, rocky bro. one thing people
say... you so berani. that is why kmh so damn scared of you. if he fixes you,
he will blame someone else. yezzzaaaa?
and brendan leaving NST? what utter rubbush, that nice boy is so so loyal to
kmh.. if he is leaving nst, it wld be the editorial dept but not NST. kmh to be
chairman and brendan to be deputy chairman. howzzat?
and as bandit says.....to be continued
nsidering i have many friends in the nst and also ex-nst.
1:13 PM ”
14.3.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Open Letter to Dr M” dated
22.6.2006 (bold and highlighted passages being defamatory
of the 1st plaintiff):-
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A comment by “pasquale” at 2.38 p.m.:-
(i)
“pasquale said...
Rocky!
This is how I see it.
In the past any backstabbing, double dealing, or double crossing, or any
other Umno chicanery remains with the inter-party problem. What I mean is
it is Umno leaders vis-a-vis other Umno leaders but with out outside
inteferences. Today, Dr. M may just be alone because the "machineries"
today that he may be depending for his voice and grouses to be heard, be it
the national newspapers, political parties (Umno and non-Umno parties,
NGOs, the Special Branch, or even the Military Intelligence) are all in the
hands of foreign interest, I have no doubt in my mind that this is the case. Let
me just say it, NSTP is now an extension of Singapore political propaganda
machine. The DAP is still an extension of the PAP with S'pore money
pouring in DAP coffers everymonth as we speak. So don't be shocked if Dr.
M may just be alone and he cannot fight the might of foreign domination
from his posh office at Perdana Leadership Foundation because that place is
also heavily planted with listening devices.
My only advice for the Malays (reads Morons) is to prepare for them to be
dominated and be a second class citizens with a very low sperm count so that
they will not propogate as the Morons in Singapore. Sorry, Rocky I know you
also have a strong S'pore connection, not an attack on you. But reality is
sometimes harsh! Well! Happy Hannukah and Shalom!
2:38 PM”
(iii) 14.4
A post entitled “Majulah Singapura Verse 4” dated
14.7.2006:-
“MAJULAH SINGAPURA VERSE 4
Veteran editor censored (and censured) for anti-Singapore
views ...
Ahmad Rejal Arbee, former Bernama editor-in-chief, former
Business Times editor, former Malaysian Business editor,
519087-2
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former Sun group editor, and former Berita Harian group
editor, "commented harshly on Singapore re: the bridge and
relations with the island republic" in two articles for his
weekly column in Berita Harian.
Both articles did not see print.
Because both Singapore-offending articles were spiked,
which means they were not used, that they were thrown into
the trash bins of the Group Editor or Group Editor-inChief's computers.
(And both of them - Manja and Hishamuddin - were
probably running around in pampers when Rejal started his
long and colourful journalism career in the days when the
country's media were supposed to be less free than now).
Bakar Mahmud, a visitor to this blog, has the full story.
"I know for a fact NST do not brook any adverse comments
on Singapore," he wrote.”
14.4.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Majulah Singapura
Verse 4” dated 14.7.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by “cherie” at 8.49 a.m.:-
“cherie said...
bro,
first -- dont think manja and hisham were wearing pampers then when Rejal
was already hot shot journalist in the so-called dark days of journalism.
Probably kain batik. No...no offence, but pampers were not in the market
519087-2
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then.
secondly--- WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, bro???? OF COURSE, they would
spike an "ANTI-SINGAPORE" story.
In the old days, they chop people's heads off for betraying the country.
Today, it is a good thing to betray your country.
Why don't you ask any NST editors.. (though this will be difficult... the
ones around may not want to say anything out of fear), how does the NST
treat "negative" stories on Singapore? Simple. Don't use them.
Yes, I agree with someone -- It is the New Singapore Times.
8:49 AM”
(iv) 14.5
A post entitled “Guilty as Charged” dated 15.7.2006:-
“GUILTY AS CHARGED
FACT: Editors from the New Straits Times Press were,
indeed, involved in drafting the Statement to Counter Dr M.
(As far as I know, no editors from other Malaysian news
organisations, not even Bernama, the national news agency,
were privy).
FACT: At least two senior editors currently running the New
Straits Times once served The Straits Times.
FACT: The Straits Times is a Singapore government's
mouthpiece.
In view of these FACTS, it's only natural for some of us to
see things, make out connections and be very, very
suspicious.
You see a conflict of interest? How much access to these
editors have to Classified documents and other Government
secrets? Who authorised these editors to prepare the
Statement and go through the Official Secrets of the
Malaysian government? Why couldn't the Cabinet handle
the response to Dr M's questions without involving these
editors?
519087-2
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Was the NST the only one that got the Scoop hours before it
was officially issued, or was the Statement also leaked to
other parties?
Someone tells me, "The Government is no longer run by the
Government".
How worried should I be? A thought for your weekend.”
14.5.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comments to the post entitled “Guilty as Charged”
dated 15.7.2006 (bold and highlighted passages
being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘Kaliyuga’ at 4.08 p.m.:-
“Kaliyuga said...
Also to make sure that Najib carried out Abdullah's orders as pre-determine
by the menantu, the spin doctors and the Oxbridge Cabal.
What OSA are you talking about? You must be joking. Wake up Bru, this is
the openess era when law and order mean nothing to this guys.
Shame on the Cabinet, the civil servants, the Wisma Putra and the likes of
Ahmad Fuzi. You guys are wasting our votes by allowing these usurpers to
undermine our country.
Being a journalist myself, I bet every penny I have in my pocket that while
drafting the statement for Najib to issue, these NST guys were busily SMSing
their counterparts in Singapore.
4:08 PM”
519087-2
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(ii)
A comment by ‘rockybru’ at 12.18 p.m.:-
“rockybru said...
Kawan!
I wasn't kidding.
Fact 1. Kalimullah Hassan worked with Singapore Straits Times. He was
made NSTP's Group Editor-in-chief in 2004 and is now its deputy
chairman and Editorial Adviser
Fact 2. Brendan Pereira worked with Singapore Straits Times. He is now
the Group Editor of NST.
Fact 3. Ahirudin Attan, this blogger, was also Singapore-trained. He lived
there for the first 17 years of his life, completed his secondary school and
went to its madrasah. He also worked in some factories in Singapore in the
late 70s. But has never worked with any newspaper in the republic.
These are FACTS which are known to enough peole. But these FACTS do not
mean that all of us or any of us are still working with Singapore, or parties in
Singapore, in some capacity or other.
But as Anonymous put it, "...at the very least the increasingly anxious
population must be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that there are
indeed no serious moles who are in the position to compromise Malaysia's
sovereignty by virtue of the misplaced trust given to them by the current
administration."
12:18 PM”
(iii)
A comment by ‘mis_tey at 8.20 a.m.:-
“mis_tey said...
Mustang said...
"...Further these editors were not the baruahs of any foreign power.Tan Sri
519087-2
18
Samad was persona non grata in Singapore and LKY's sworn enemy.
- We all should be very worried.”
========
Indeed, we should!!
What you said is true!
Didnt Lee Kuan Yew have a hand in putting Pak Samad away under ISA for
5 ½ years taking advantage of the Umno internal struggle following the
death of Tun Razak in 1976?
He took King Ghaz,the then ambitious & powerful Home Minister, by his
balls to have his long-time enemy, Pak Samad, detained.
LKY has a thick file on King Ghaz escapes in Singapore!!!
That's the danger. And now we have Singapore agents - this is no longer a
rumour, but a fact - openly running the country through its proxies in the
NST.
No thanks to our pengecut leaders.
This is indeed troubled times for our country, whose sovereignty is being
openly sabotaged!
8:20 AM”
(v) 14.6
A post entitled “Fact. Fact. Fact” dated 19.7.2006:-
“FACT.FACT.FACT.
Remember the forgetable statement issued by the government
on the scenic bridge ? Yes, the one that gave NST the
"scoop" of the year and which Bandit, the acclaimed poster
on this blog, agreed was written exactly as Brendan Pereira,
the NST's group editor, would have written it?
Pls read it again.
FACT.
FACT.
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FACT.
Now read this piece posted by a Jewish propaganda site.
FACT.
FACT.
FACT.
Same tutor?”
(vi) 14.7
A post entitled “Sufi’s Next Letter: Dear Kali…” dated
20.7.2006:-
“SUFI'S NEXT LETTER: DEAR KALI ...
When Sufi Yusoff returns from London tomorrow, where his
boss the former Prime Minister has been handling a schedule
too busy to call a holiday, he will start composing a Letter to
the Editor of the New Straits Times.
It will be a simple letter asking the newspaper to apologise
for a serious factual error (or fabrication or
misrepresentation of the truth, as some might have seen it)
contained in an article written by the NSTP's editorial
adviser and deputy chairman Kalimullah Hassan.
The article was Kalimullah's eager heroic attempt to defend
the PM, Abdullah Badawi, against the sharp criticisms against
the government levelled by Dr Mahathir just days earlier.
In one of the many passsages running down the former PM,
Kalimullah wrote in his column about how Dr M had asked for
a meeting with Abdullah when both of them were in Tokyo
recently and how Abdullah had agreed.
Yesterday, Abdullah told reporters that he was the one who
had asked for the meeting with Dr M, not the other way round.
MageP's Lab broke the myth when he spotted the story buried
in today's news reports and Screenshots put things in
perspective.
For the record, Sufi did write a letter to the NST to point out
519087-2
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that Kalimullah had got it wrong. To its credit, the newspaper
published the letter but neither Kalimullah nor the Editor of
the paper offered an apology to Dr M (or , for that matter, to
Abdullah) .
The offending article was never retracted.
(That letter was the last by Sufi to be published by the NST; his
subsequent letters to the editor pointing out other errors and
misrepresentation of facts in the newspaper's reports on the Dr
M-Abdullah spat did not see print).
Experienced and responsible editors readily admit an error
and have no qualms about apologising if the mistake is
grave. An apology may save a newspaper from being sued.
But, mostly, editors say sorry and admit mistakes to uphold
their own and their newspapers' integrity and credibility, lest
they are accused of spreading lies.”
(vii) 14.8
A post entitled “Whoa, ZAM!” dated 26.7.2006:-
“WHOA, ZAM!
Zam, the Info Minister, who was a journalist and editor of
great standing before his leap into politics, has burnt the
Causeway as far as his ties with the editorial gods of NSTP is
concerned.
There should be updates on his assault on segelintir
wartawan media tertentu yang menjadi alat kepada anasir
luar after the weekly Cabinet meeting today.
Whichever way the wind blows, we now know that this bit
about ET controlling the puny minds of some media big boys
is a question not just the bloggers are asking. Screenshots
was merely repeating the question earlier on.”
519087-2
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14.8.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Whoa, ZAM!” dated
26.7.2006 (bold and highlighted passages being
defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘bakar’ at 3.15 a.m.:-
“bakar said...
Its obvious Zam was referring to the NST group which continues to boycott
him following his outburst against Hishamuddin Aun at the Biro
Penerangan Umno meeting a couple of months back. He had then chided
Hisham for not having the "balls" to act against another Singapore spy in
the NST, Brendan Pereira, used by Kamal Khalid (one of the so-called all
powerful KJ's Oxbridge group housed on the 4th floor of the PM's office)
to draft the government's reply to Tun Dr M's allegations.
Thus the so-called 'scoop' by the NST carrying that story through its website
even before other press have got the statement. The NST had to delete that
entry a couple of hours later and another Malay news editor, Shamsul was
made the fall guy and immediately transferred out from the NST newsdesk.
(Surely a news editor do not have the power to post the item over its web
page without being told?)
So now the Chief News Editor, Deputy Chief News Editor, News Editors and
Asst News Editors manning the newsdesk of the NST are all from one
community - we know who.
Isn't it ironic that a newspaper supposedly majority owned by Umno interests
is run by members of one community who can never be Umno members?
Yet the Malays are touted to be racists. Can you expect the Star, an MCA
controlled paper, for example to have Malays running it? As it is the paper
do not have even one Malay editor!
So again what gives?
3:15 AM”
(viii) 14.9
519087-2
A post entitled “Replacement Editor” dated 1.8.2006:-
22
“REPLACEMENT EDITOR
August 1.
In a few hours Saiful Azhar Abdullah, ejected against his
will from the NST purportedly for being too close to Dr M's
camp, will report for duty to the big boss of The Malay
Mail/Weekend Mail, Syed Faisal Albar (who is also the NSTP
chief executive officer).
Saiful, who was Executive Editor (News) of NST for the
briefest of periods, will report as one of two deputy editors of
MM/WM (the other being the younger Yushaimi Yahaya).
Where daily operations are concerned, both come directly
under the even-younger M. Zul.
Yushaimi and Saiful have both worked with me at the Mail and
either one of them, I believe, could easily bring back the
tabloid's glory days, given time and a shot at it.
The question now is: Who will group editor-in-chief
Hishamuddin Aun (read Kalimullah Hassan and Brendan
Pereira) appoint to fill the powerful position of executive
editor in charge of news in this Umno-owned NST?
NST's reporters I spoke to think suspect 4 candidates:
1/ Hamidi Hamid, the fomer Australian High Commissioner
press attache who was brought in by Kalimullah recently, as
specialist writer, to focus on Umno politics
2/ Jahabar Saddiq, Reuters TV
3/ Leslie Lau, Straits Times Singapore
4/ Yushaimi
Yushaimi is the obvious underdog, being the only guy without
any experience working with a foreign organisation and who
is still, fortunately, very passionate about the Mail.”
(ix) 14.10
A post entitled “Wow, Kamrul!” dated 2.8.2006:-
“WOW, KAMRUL!
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My apologies to bros Hamidi, Jahabar, Leslie and Yushaimi.
Kamrul Idris is the new Executive Editor of News, replacing
Saiful AzharAbdullah.
Kamrul is currently Executive Editor for Life & Times. His
news background is limited, partly because of his inability to
handle the pressure of a newsroom. But as an editorial
writer, given his powerful command of the language, he
excels under the Kalimullah regime.
The two portfolios make him the most powerful Executive
Editor in the NSTP.”
(x) 14.11
A post entitled “Brenda and Brendan” dated 9.8.2006:-
“BRENDA AND BRENDAN
The butchered and the butcher in the newsroom ... Brenda
Lim is one pissed off journalist. They gave her a byline for this
story datelined Tronoh ("Dr M goes for MBs of Perak, Perlis",
NST, Aug 8) but she told friends that the passages in bold were
not her work.
"Dr Mahathir, whose three sons and other family members
controlled or owned substantial shares in a number of listed
companies during his tenure as prime minister, questioned
who had lent Khairy the RM9 million to buy a minor interest
in financial services company ECM Libra Berhad late last
year."
The butcher here is Brendan Pereira, the faithful Singaporetrained disciple of Singapore-trained Kalimullah Hassan,
both out to malign Dr M and make sure that the former PM
and the PM do not patch up.
Dr M mentioned Brenda's name twice yesterday for the
article that carried her byline but he was obviously quite
aware of Brendan's butchery:
"The PM did not mention my children (during the TV
interview) but Brendan Pereira did ... he thought he should
add a little bit more to make things more interesting," Dr M
519087-2
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told reporters yesterday.
Brenda Lim is no greenhorn, having been a journalist for the
past decade. But this is the first time anyone has blatantly
altered her newsreport to suit a political agenda. She is hurt
and she is distressed.
Brendan is NST group editor courtesy of Kalimullah Hassan,
the group's editorial adviser, who wrote the June 11 column
in The Sunday Times which blatantly lied about
circumstances surrounding a meeting between the PM and
Dr M in Tokyo. Kalimullah has refused to apologise to Dr
M.”
14.11.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Brenda and
Brendan” dated 9.8.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘rockybru’ at 10.40 p.m.:-
“rockybru said...
Anon, interesting observation but not true. Editors must never hide behind
reporters' bylines.
In Brenda's case, Brendan should have dropped her byline from the story.
What he did was not fair - even damaging - on the reporter. If I were
Brenda, I would file a complaint against the butcher. Professionals don't
have to tolerate such unprofessional and unethical behaviour.
I have never butchered a reporter's news story to score political points. But
that's because 1/ I never felt any need to suck up to the so-called political
masters 2/ I had editors who backed me up and put their necks on the line
for me.
519087-2
25
As Business Times editor, I was accused as anti-government by the
government and "summoned' by several ministers (Dr Ling and Lim Ah Lek
were two) for BT's critical pieces. The PM then made unkind remarks about
the paper's stand and editors. Kamal Badawi had asked Kalimullah (who
was then not in the NST) for help to stop the stories, but we kept on writing.
When Kalimullah became the NSTP boss, Kamal insisted on filing a suit
against the BT and its editor over those stories (or at least that was what
Kalimullah told me then).
The Malay Mail had always been a gung-ho tabloid; under my editorship it
just go gung-ho my way. Yushaimi, Lional, Yusri and many others at the
tabloid were journalists who get their hard-ons only from coming out with
great page 1 stories. I incurred the wrath of MBs, Ministers, councillors,
corporate leaders. The PM was not happy, he accused me of not supporting
his government; and the DPM (Pak Lah) was not happy with me (for blowing
up a story on a potential Singapore military threat).
After three years editing BT (98-01), they told me they wanted to collapse the
BT into NST. The move would push up the circulation of NST to 180,000
copies, they said.
And, as you know, they decided to make MM a funky teeny paper early this
year. The MM's editorial & journalistic b.lls got too big for some people's
liking. Almost every other day I was told the PM (Pak Lah) was not happy
with the MM.
Right to the end, I never let the butchers into my newsroom.
10:40 PM”
(xi) 14.12
A post entitled “Iblising the Iblis” dated 11.8.2006:-
“IBLISING THE IBLIS
This day two months ago, June 11, Kalimullah Hassan wrote
in The Sunday Column a piece demonising Dr M. In it, he
told readers (me included) the blatant lie about the
circumstances leading to a meeting in Tokyo between the PM
and Dr Mahathir.
The Prime Minister ... was told that Dr Mahathir wanted to
come and see him. Abdullah, in the midst of breakfast with
519087-2
26
aides and officials, immediately put on his tie and told the
ambassador that he would go and see his ex-boss rather than
let Dr Mahathir come down and see him. Yet, less than two
weeks later, Dr Mahathir invited the foreign Press to his office
and lambasted Abdullah and his administration. He accused
the current administration and Abdullah of many things stabbing him in the back, ingratitude, and perhaps, the most
provocative suggestion was that while he (Dr Mahathir) had
no power to remove Abdullah, he said "it is for his own party
(Umno) to remove him".
Kalimullah hasn't apologised for the piece. The newspaper's
group editor-in-chief, Hishamuddin Aun, hasn't apologised,
either.
They don't just owe Dr M an apology. They owe me the
reader an apology, too.”
(xii) 14.13
A post entitled “Sin Guru to Train NST Editors/Majulah
Singapura Bab 9” dated 14.8.2006:-
“SIN GURU TO TRAIN NST EDITORS/MAJULAH
SINGAPURA BAB 9
Revi Veloo, a former reporter for the Singapore Straits Times,
has been given the task of retraining, reconditioning and
remoulding the bureau chiefs of the New Straits Times.
The Singaporean's job starts with a two-day course later this
week. Bureau chiefs are generally experienced journalists with
good political connections and leadership qualities.
The Singaporean comes highly recommended by another exST operative, Brendan Pereira, who is now the Group Editor
of the New Straits Times.
This is the first time a Singapore Straits Times' former
reporter has been brought to directly train senior journalists
from the Umno-owned NST. Brendan was brought in by
former group editor-in-chief of NSTP and now its Editorial
Adviser, Kalimullah Hassan, who was also a Singapore
Straits Times reporter.
519087-2
27
Both Kalimullah and Brendan are part of the so-called
"inner circle" of the Abdullah Administration. Kalimullah
was a staunch critic of Dr M even before the ex-PM's current
spat with the PM.
Revi and Brendan have known each other for years. They are
immortalised digitally on this website (CLICK HERE) on the
same page headlined The Unusual Character & Extra Value of
Singapore Journalism.
On that page, fugitive Singapore opposition leader inserted a
line of caution: Beware if you have to talk to journalists from
Singapore!!!
Beware if you have to talk to journalists from Singapore!!!
The following is a list of Singapore journalists who swarmed liked
(whatever your imagination fancies) to file numerous Affidavits in
support of 13 defamation suits filed by Singapore People's Action
Party (PAP) against an opposition politician in Singapore ;Straits Times
11. Brendan Pereira's 1st Affidavit filed on 2nd May 1997.
12. Chang Ai-Lien's 1st Affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
13. Eliza Teoh's 1st Affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
14. Eliza Teoh's 2nd Affidavit filed on 30th April 1997.
15. Jason Leow's 1st Affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
16. Jason Leow's 2nd Affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
17. Leong Ching Ching's 1st Affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
18. Leong Ching Ching's 2nd Affidavit filed on 30th April 1997.
19. Ng Sock Hiang, Serene Marie, Low Sock Eng Jeannie and
Simon Tan Thoo Seng's Joint Affidavit filed on 30th April 1997.
20. Pang Gek Choo's 1st Affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
21. Ravi Veloo's 1st affidavit filed on 29th April 1997.
22. Surinder Singh's 1st Affidavit sworn on 30th April 1997.
Revi Veloo and Brendan Pereira had allegedly filed affidavits
in support of 13 defamation suits filed by Lee Kuan Yew's
ruling PAP against an Opposition politician in the republic
back in 1997.”
519087-2
28
14.13.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Sin Guru to Train
NST Editors/Majulah Singapura Bab 9” dated
14.8.2006 (bold and highlighted passages being
defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘Pujangga’ at 10.30 a.m.:-
“Pujangga said...
Brother,
So what is Kalimullah's connection to Singapore? Is it just a fetish for
Singaporeans, or is there more to it?
The police Special Branch when making a background check on him when
he applied to become the Press Secretary of Tun Ghafar Baba (when he
was Deputy Prime Minister), failed him. I wonder if Tan Sri Rahim Noor
(the then Special Branch chief) would care to shed some light on this.
Rumour has it Kalimullah was "too close" to Singapore and couldnt
explain his frequent travels down South.
p.s Heard that One Bangsar (next to Bangsar Village has been sold to a
Singaporean. We are almost down to our underwear, everything else has
been sold to the Singaporeans. Syabas to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his
associates, like Kalimullah.
10:30 AM”
(xiii) 14.14
A post entitled “Should the Boy Apologise” dated
26.8.2006:-
519087-2
29
“SHOULD THE BOY APOLOGISE?
Oxbridge needs your advice:
Should Khairy Jamaluddin bow to the MCA Youth's demand
that he say sorry for his allegedly racist remarks that hurt the
Chinese the other day?
Or should the famous son-in-law be hard-headed and act like
a Mat Rempit and tell the MCA Youth to go wheelie its own
bike (or go fly kite)?
I hope KJ does not plan to seek counsel from his editorialcum-financial adviser Kalimullah Hassan because he'll be
very confused if he does.
I say that because Kalimullah has been inconsistent in the
apology department: 1/ He apologised to NST readers for
carrying a cartoon strip in the newspaper seen as belittling
the issue of the offensive Prophet Mohamad carricatures
(though some would argue about the sincerity of the apology)
but 2/ he has refused till today to say sorry to Dr Mahathir
and NST readers for passages of untruth in a June 11
column in the New Sunday Times.
An MCA Youth insider told me the movement does not think
the boy will apologise but it wanted to put it on the record that
the demand for an apology has been made. Politics is about
scoring points when you can”.
(xiv) 14.15
A post entitled “Hisham’s Cars and Bikes” dated
26.8.2006:-
“HISHAM'S CARS AND BIKES
No, brats, K&M is not short for KaliMullah or Khairy&Maya.
K&M stands for Kereta & Motosikal, Berita Harian's 16-page
Saturday special making its debut today on test-drives, the
latest models and car ads.
K&M is BH's carbon-copy of the extremely succesful CBT
519087-2
30
(Cars, Bikes and Trucks) initiated for NST by Yamin Vong, a
former Business Times journalist and a renowned 4x4 man,
when Ahmad A. Talib was the group editor of the (broadsheet)
NST.
This K&M pull-out is the brainchild of Hishamuddin Aun,
the NSTP group editor-in-chief. Until early this week,
however, even the BH group editor Manja Ismail was said to
have not been officially informed of the K&M project.
As this is the age where some editors unabashedly involve
themselves (or their wives) in business, the secrecy accorded
this project has raised (and will raise) some very obvious
questions, especially so when the contract to produce the
K&M is beijng awarded to Wave Marketing Sdn Bhd, a
virtually unknown firm in the publishing business owned by
a pal of Hishamuddin and Kalimullah Hassan's.
A couple of years ago, Yamin's CBT inspired me to create
MailMotor, the sexy auto section of the (old) Malay Mail.”
(xv) 14.16
A post entitled “Sunday Fabricator” dated 27.8.2006:-
“SUNDAY FABRICATOR
Journalism is built on trust. A journalist who fabricates his
report commits journalism's biggest sin. In the US, such a
journalist is sacked, shamed and shunned.
Here in Malaysia, however, he continues to write about the
goodness of his own existence. Today in the Sunday Times,
he came out of hiding to write [I was told] about how this
goodness of his is somehow related to our Merdeka.
I wonder if you read the column today. I was told that he still
hasn't come clean about the sin he committed, the stories he
fabricated for his June 11 column.
But even if he owns up and say a thousand apologies would
you believe another word he writes, knowing that journalism
is built on trust?
519087-2
31
[please read related articles on fellow fabricators here and
here and here]”
14.16.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comments to the post entitled “Sunday Fabricator”
dated 27.8.2006 (bold and highlighted passages
being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘nstloyalist’ at 10.41 p.m.:-
“nstloyalist said...
kalimulah has no more credibility as a journalist. Not that he ever had
before. But since his lack of -- all that's good in journalism -- has been
exposed, he should have enough maruah diri to abstain from further
tarnishing the NST.
He is a sham and a shame. He is a liar. The Malays call it -- meluat -when you read his column about the good he had done to and for people
when you know that THAT is a bloody lie. Kalimulah knows only how to
fix people, stab people in the back (but now he is more transparent, he does
it in the front), "aniaya" people. he harbours ill will against people better
than him but whom he cannot use or abuse. He is a rat of the first degree.
Even his "friends" know him to be so.It makes me want to throw up when
Kalimulah so shamelessly writes about love and compassion.
Please lah Kalimullah, stop further embarrassing yourself.
10:41 PM”
(ii)
A comment by ‘journo’ at 10.48 p.m.:-
“journo said...
Ah brother,
spot on. I don't believe a word Datuk K writes. "The goodness of his own
519087-2
32
existence" - I like that.
What a damper of a Sunday morning to open the paper (I do read the NST),
flip the pages and see his photo, and (ugh!) his nauseatingly, masuk bakulangkat sendiri column.
Brother, let me tell you. People talk. Si Kali tu memang penipu, you are
right.
10:48 PM”
(iii)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 7.40 a.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
journo said...
his nauseatingly, masuk bakul-angkat sendiri column.
Brother, let me tell you. People talk. Si Kali tu memang penipu, you are
right.
=================================
Couldnt agree more with you.
Kali is the biggest liar, a coward, a braggart & a shameless person.
Masuk bakul, angkat diri sendiri. Sounds like Pak Lah (It's my idea!!!)
Hani
7:40 AM”
(xvi) 14.17
A post entitled “BH’s Last Real Critic” dated 6.9.2006:-
“BH'S LAST REAL CRITIC
4th floor tells Hisham: Get rid of Datuk Rejal or ...! And,
thus, Rejal Arbee was told yesterday that his Wednesday
column has been retired, effective immediately.
Rejal was informed by one of the editors via e-mail.
519087-2
33
Expectedly, Hishamuddin Aun, the group editor-in-chief
moulded and sculptured by Rejal when he was his group
editor, had neither the courtesy nor the balls to pick up the
phone and speak to his former boss.
Rejal's "retirement" is the result of direct intervention in the
newsroom by the 4th floor boyz at Putrajaya.
It seemed that they had told Hisham of how they had taken
offence at references, in Rejal's last article, to Malaysia
Today and Beritakmu as "gentlemen bloggers" against
machai, malaysiatomorrow and kpmu (which are proAbdullah Badawi blogs) for not identifying themselves.
In the same article, Rejal also mentioned Kadir Jasin,
Rocky's Bru and Jeff Ooi as "gentlemen bloggers" but these
references had been deleted by the editors before sending the
article for print.
Rejal started his career as a journalist at Berita Harian on
September 30, 1963.”
(xvii) 14.18
A post entitled “The Malay Kali, Brendan & Guna” dated
12.9.2006:-
“THE MALAY KALI, BRENDAN & GUNA
Zainon Ahmad's commentary in theSun yesterday ["Best to
exit like a statesman"] makes him the first Malay editor of an
English-language mainstream newspaper to do what the
likes of Kalimullah Hassan, Brendan Pereira and P.
Gunasegaram have been doing - demonise the former PM.
"By not being a delegate on Saturday," Zainon writes, "(Dr M)
will never be a source of embarassment to the leaders of the
party and the assembly this November. Better still for everyone
concerned if he did not attend at all - even as a guest."
The former theSun's group editor-in-chief and now its political
editor (and scriptwriter for What They Say) was never known
to be critical of Dr Mahathir when the Tun was prime
minister.
519087-2
34
But in yesterday's article, he came out of the woodwork. He
quoted an unidentified speaker at a What-They-Say-like
gathering in a house in Kubang Pasu a couple of days before
the divisional election:
"..do we want to allow (Dr M) in his old age - when he is
probably incapable of making the right decision anymore - to
become a delegate and to suffer all manner of indignities? We
must protect him and shield him."
The ensuing para was probably meant to be a swipe at some
editors from a recent past (Zainon could also be aiming this at
himself as he was one of the senior editors of NST during Dr
M's era):
"Indeed that had been the role adopted by some newspaper
editors occasionally in the days when he was the prime
minister: to protect Mahathir from his own excessive
vehemence and to make Mahathir look good."
Compare Zainon's piece with veteran Rejal Arbee's blogcommentary here and Zainon's ex-boss' analysis here. In
Jakarta, blogger Unspun had an earlier take here.”
(xviii) 14.19
A post entitled “Majulah Singapura BAB11” dated
13.9.2006:-
“MAJULAH SINGAPURA BAB11
Reassuring Singapore. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reassured
his Singaporean counterpart during a 1-on-1 meeting in
Helsinki that the this-is-my-idea Johor Super Corridor project
will benefit the island Republic.
The NST, the English-language daily run by former
Singapore Straits Times operatives, decided to bury the story
deep in another piece ("PM: Include non-Europeans as
peacekeepers").
Sister paper Berita Harian, however, was told to play up the
issue on the front page yesterday ("Batal Jambatan tak jejas
519087-2
35
hubungan: PM").
And the Singapore Straits Times carried a similar story
quoting the Malaysian prime minister ["Ties with Spore very
good, friendly"]. But this piece, though similar in the
"reassuring" theme, was actually taken from the interview
Abdullah had with The Edge, published in its latest issue that
hit the stands over last weekend.
Ah, what a lovely coincidence!”
(xix) 14.20
A post entitled “Mahathir, Rape, Siti, Nurhaliza?” dated
22.9.2006:“MAHATHIR, RAPE, SITI, NURHALIZA?
update 23 Sept
datuk mahathir police singapore who rape .. (malaysia)?
Did someone tell us to wake up and smell the Web 2.0, that
the image below was automatically generated?
See the new image (above). Their Web 2.0 must be reading
the blogs!
Original posting 22 Sept:
519087-2
36
So, Kali, Hisham and Brendan, you think this is funny?”
(xx) 14.21
A post entitled “NST Unspun” dated 24.9.2006:-
“NST UNSPUN!
Where's the spin?
I had expected Brendan Pereira to spin it and use one of his
favourite openings "The Prime Minister was an angry man
yesterday" for Pak Lah's response to Lee Kuan Yew over the
latter's disparaging remarks about Malaysian Chinese being
marginalised and compliant.
But the former Singapore Straits Times journalist decided to
go back to straight reporting in this case and "soften"
Abdullah's demeanour in the face of LKY.
So you get straight reporting on that issue from the NST
today, which read just like the ones published in Bernama,
Utusan, and The Star.
Well, Brendan will have another chance to make a soup of
LKY in his column tomorrow!”
(xxi) 14.22
"A post entitled “Vintage Wine in a Newsroom” dated
25.9.2006:-
“VINTAGE WINE IN A NEWSROOM
Aeneas. This American hedge fund is currently being
investigated by our Securities Commission and its US
counterpart for alleged manipulation of stocks in 4 listed
Malaysian companies.
But there's another angle to the story that journos won't
report. It seems that a business daily within the NSTP group
519087-2
37
has been churning out article after article on the 4
companies, articles which were overly "positive" - even PRish - in nature despite the fact that prospects weren't that
rosy.
One Mr K. Lau would alert a top editor of NST about each
news release about the 4 companies. At the same time,
someone else would send a bottle of vintage wine now and
then to a certain Executive Editor to ensure that the stories
remained, er, sparkling!”
14.22.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Vintage Wine in a
Newsroom” dated 25.9.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 1.35 p.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
bro,
The way I see it, NST reporters can now indulge in business. Courtesy
Kalimulah. Afterall, Kalimulah is a businessman. The minute he steps into
his office at the NST, he looks at his shares -- what's up, what's down. He
uses his NST position to boost his business. What do you expect then? And
then you hv the GEIC helping his wife gets business thru Berita Harian.
Brother, times have changed. Rules are menta to be broken. and that's the
truth.
Kalimulah has re-defined newspapering. And this is not said in
complimentary tone.
Journalism at the NST is at a low.
If I were a reporter at the NST now, I'd be making money on the side. and
nobody can preach to me about ethics.
I am just emulating the top bosses.
519087-2
38
JONAH
1:35 PM”
(xxii) 14.23
A post entitled “Forgiving Kiasu Lee” dated 1.10.2006:-
“FORGIVING KIASU LEE
"Tis the season of forgiveness and friendship, Lee. Seek and ye
shall find." - Kalimullah Hassan, today's Sunday Times
(Sunday Column: Growing Legion of the Unfooled).
He seems anxious to forgive Lee! But you have to have the
stamina to reach para 26 (yes, 26!) of this piece by the
former Singapore Straits Times journalist before you come to
the first reference to LKY.
In contrast, guest writer Paddy Bowie, in her 26-para piece
("Sorry Minister Mentor, but you got it wrong"), took on
"kiasu" Lee from start to finish.
Kalimullah seems more concerned with convincing the
reader that what Pak Lah did, vis-a-vis what the previous
admin used to do, was the write thing:
"Only, this time, Malaysia reacted in proper and civil fashion
— seeking an explanation from Lee on what certainly was an
ill-thought, inconsiderate and provocative statement. Had
Malaysia reacted in any other way, it would have only lent
credence to Lee’s assertions of a "bullying big brother". "
P.S. Didn't Kalimullah say he was going to stop writing The
Sunday Column (soon after the "errors" in his June 11 piece
was exposed)? This week's piece is the third in a row so it
does look like we've been had, again!
And, by the way, he has not apologised for the June 11
column. Well, "tis the season of forgiveness, Kali. Seek and
ye shall find".”
519087-2
39
(xxiii) 14.24
A post entitled “Who has the Vintage Wine” dated
2.10.2006:-
“WHO HAS THE VINTAGE WINE?
Who wants to know? The SC, which is investigating a US
hedge fund's involvement in 4 public listed companies here,
wants to know more about Vintage Wine in the Newsroom
posted on this blog on Sept 25.
They were in touch last week with this blogger. The SC
wanted to know which articles I was referring to in the
posting.
But I could not help asking if the SC was not interested in the
US$34 million payout by utilities giant TNB to a certain Pak
Robert. That kind of money can buy a ship-load of the best
Chilean! But kudos to TNB for they, too, were proactive
enough to get an official to contact this blogger regarding
the Sept 21 posting.
My point: Not everyone dismisses bloggers. Umno would do
well to take a cue from the SC and Tenaga Nasional on blog
relations.”
(xxiv) 14.25
A post entitled “Brendan, Hishamuddin Aun Sued” dated
19.10.2006:-
“BRENDAN, HISHAMUDDIN AUN SUED
Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah strikes back. In an article on 24
August 2006, the NST planted a line about the "fact" that
Raja Kamarul Bahrin had taken another wife two weeks yes, TWO WEEKS! - after his second child, with his then
wife Jacquelin, was born.
Now, what would you think of a man who would do such a
thing to his wife?
Exactly my sentiments. Those who were familiar with his
519087-2
40
celebrated custody battle for his two children in Australia and
his subsequent daring rescue of the kids, after reading this
article, were likely to change the way they look at Raja Bahrin.
I mean, only a jerk would do such a thing, right?
But that line NST inserted in the article was a LIE. It is NOT
a fact.
Raja Bahrin sent a letter of demand to get NST to print a frontpage apology, to disclose the source of the lie, and to pay RM1
million. [I was told that in the letter of demand, Raja Bahrin
said the money will be channeled to an institute to run
training courses to produce good and ethical journalists].
NST sent two top officials, accompanied by a lawyer, to meet
Raja Bahrin. On 20 Sept 2006, the tabloid published an
apology.
But it was an apology-that's-not-an-apology. [Remember Lee
Kuan Yew's "apology"?]
NST, under the former Singapore Straits Times operatives
Kalimullah Hassan-Brendan Pereira regime, has gotten
away with such an apology, as in the case of the Prophet
Muhammad caricature's case. It has even gotten away, so
far, by refusing to apologise for an outright lie in the case of
the June 11 article by Kalimullah Hassan on the meeting
between PM and Dr M in Tokyo.
Not this time.
Brendan Pereira, the NST group editor, has been named as the
defendant in the defamation suit filed by Raja Bahrin about
2.30pm today at the High Court in Kuala Terengganu.
Hishamuddin Aun, the GEIC for NSTP, has been named as codefendant.
Raja Bahrin is seeking RM1 million in general damages as
well as aggravated and exemplary damages to be determined
by the court.”
14.26.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
519087-2
41
comments to the post entitled “Brendan, Hishamuddin Aun
Sued” dated 19.10.2006 (bold and highlighted passages
being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘madonna’ at 6.12 p.m.:-
“madonna said...
i have said it once (perhaps too many times before) and i'll say it again -NST has gone to the dogs.... no longer a paper NST journalists can be
proud of. Kalimullah, like all weak and insecure "leaders", has put not-socapable editors to run the paper.
6:12 PM ”
(ii)
A comment by ‘journo’ at 7.28 a.m.:-
“journo said...
Kawan,
i share your views. Let me enlighten you on how it works in the NST.
Funny you should mention the NST board. Oh,it is powerful in everything
else in the company BUT the editorial. Let me put it this way. The allpowerful person in the NST, tne numero uno, the supremo is the person put
there by the Prime Minister. So, right now, neither the board chairman, the
CEO nor the GEIC has any power to change things -- in the editorial or
anywhere else in the NST. But, Kalimulah who was regretfully appointed by
the PM to take charge of the NST is not interested in anything else except the
NST editorial.
So,if you think the board should do somehting... yes, I'm with you. But the
reality is, the board which is under Kalimulah's thumb,will not be able to do
adamn thing.
Sad, isnt it? someone like Kalimulah whose shady background
519087-2
42
EVERYONE knows, has many learned and respectable people under his
thumb.
No, it is not sad. It is so sickening.
7:28 AM ”
(iii)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 1.52 p.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
journo said...
Sad, isnt it? someone like Kalimulah whose shady background
EVERYONE knows, has many learned and respectable people under his
thumb.
No, it is not sad. It is so sickening.
=================================
Cant agree more with you.
Indeed, it is so sickening.
1:52 PM ”
(iv)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 1.54 a.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
what kind of newspaper will NST be reduced to when the GEIC is only
concerned about becoming a millionnaire? and this joker has kalimullah's
blessing. a lot of jokers would have kalimullah's blessing because they are
the jokers whom he sorely needs.
my advice to the mediocre GEIC -- be careful. You trip and fall, you will
find Kalimullah running as far away from you as he can. You should know
519087-2
43
by now the kind of creep that he is. the time will come when you will be of
no use to him or when you become a liability, he will drop you like a ton of
hot bricks. And let me tell you that there will be so many people ready to
kick you.
if you are so pre-occupied with becoming a millionnaire,dont use your
office-lah. quit and become a businessman. go learn from kalimullah how
to make your first million easily.
1:54 AM ”
A comment by ‘nt-sin’ at 12.26 p.m.:-
(v)
“nt-sin said...
pascual and anakmsia, bingo! nst editors are privy to some state secrets.
those spore operatives pass on the secrets to their masters. they also use the
papers and tv/radio in the nstp/mediaprima group to spin, to back spore
ventures, promote their leaders, quash anti-spore elements, etc.
i'd say that if rocky's bru doesn't write about anything else other than those
"clowns" in nst, he'd be doing a great service to this nation.
but then, he does delve into other issues and expose other clowns, too.
12:26 PM”
(xxv) 14.27
A post entitled “PM Meets Dr M 3pm Today” dated
22.10.2006:-
“PM MEETS DR M 3PM TODAY
KJ and his Fourth Floor apparatus from Putrajaya have been
busy planning BIG things for the economy, which will include
inter-GLC mergers and acquisitions and putting the "right"
people at key institutions like the EPF.
519087-2
44
One of the plans is to make Kalimullah Hassan, the former
Singapore Straits Times operative and now editorial adviser
of the NSTP, the Chairman of the Permodalan Nasional
Berhad.
If Dr M had his way at today's meeting with KJ's father-inlaw, Kalimullah won't get anywhere near enough to smell
the leather on Ahmad Sarji's power seat and the RM50
billion in funds that the PNB manages.
If not, everything else is possible, too. Expect them to quickly
try, once again, to also have a new governor for Bank
Negara.”
(xxvi) 14.28
A post entitled “Shattered Hopes or Shitting Bricks” dated
24.10.2006:-
“SHATTERED HOPES OR SHITTING BRICKS?
I'm not surprised that Kalimullah Hassan had to spend the
eve of the Eid making sure his machais Brendan Pereira and
Hishamuddin Aun work overtime and get the NST to kill any
flickering hope of a patch-up between the PM and his exboss. [read here for the tabloid's front page editorial
masquerading as a news report entitled "Shattered hopes"].
The former Singapore (Straits Times), who cooked up the
June 11 article lies, has everything to lose if Abdullah and
Dr M make up.
Anyone who reads the "extracts" of the Dr M press
conference could see that all is not lost between Dr M and
the PM, not as the NST editorialised. My word, Dr M would
even consider a second term for Pak Lah if the PM could
perform better!
The spin by NST will get from bad to worse. Kalimullah and
his two stooges are getting more desperate. They are no
longer spinning the news to promote the PM, or to manage
perception of Umno members and the public, or to reassure
foreign investors.
519087-2
45
They spin to save themselves.”
(xxvii) 14.29 A post entitled “Mahathir, Unspun” dated 27.10.2006:-
“MAHATHIR, UNSPUN
Click here for Dr M's two-page statement, "Why did I criticize
the Prime Minister?".
He wrote of a current PM who cannot at all be commented
upon, criticized or advised ("He is almost a saint who is free
from any human weaknesses and wrongs"), of a climate of fear
enveloping the nation, and the fact that the questions and
issues he raised have not been answered. "What is being
questioned is my right to comment and criticize. Attempts are
made to disparage me so badly that I am made out to be of
unsound mind."
Of the living, the Tun mentioned only two persons by their
names in his statement. The two are Kalimullah Hassan and
Brendan Pereira, former Singapore Straits Times operatives
who now have control of the NST, once the mouthpiece of
the (Malaysian) government and Umno.”
(xxviii) 14.30 A post entitled “Of Venom and Snakes” dated 27.10.2006:-
“OF VENOM AND SNAKES
Kali and Brendan. Why did Dr Mahathir implicate the two in
his latest statement?
A. Because they are former Singapore Straits Times
operatives who wrote affidavits for the PAP government?
B. Because one is a Singapore Permanent Resident who is
turning the (Malaysian) government's mouthpiece into a
joke?
C. Because the other is a published liar and uses the Umno-
519087-2
46
owned media conglomerate to serve his and his real political
masters' interests?
or
D. Because these are very bad people?
Whatever Dr M's reason, do know this: the word "venom" had
never been in Abdullah Badawi's vocabulary. No journalist or
politician I spoke to remember the man formerly known as Mr
Nice to have used "venom", let alone "doses of venom", for his
adversaries.
Certainly, Malaysians did not expect the PM to have thought
of using venom to describe one of the fathers of Malaysia.
Incidentally, Brendan has been known to prefer this V word in
his commentaries on Umno and Dr M's leadership, even since
his days as correspondent of the Singapore government's
mouthpiece. Just some samples to get you to Google on:
"When Abdullah does speak ... his words are not likely to be
steeped in venom." [8 June 2006]
"No one was spared his venom." [11 Dec 2005]
"Some of the most venomous attacks .. on (KJ)." [11 July
2004]
"He sounds bitter and makes no attempt to disguise his
venom." [15 Dec 2000]”
(xxix) 14.31
A post entitled “The Letter the Plagiarist Won’t Print”
dated 31.10.2006:-
“THE LETTER THE PLAGIARIST WON'T PRINT
Before his plagiarism was discovered, Brendan Pereira
received an e-mail from a reader who must have puked after
reading the plagiarist's piece. The Datin wrote:
Dear Mr Pereira
I refer to your column of 30 October 2006.
It's amazing how you and your colleagues in NST are
launching a concerted campaign against Tun Mahathir
under the guise of love for the country and deep nostalgia for
things past. It's staggering how much voice is vested in
519087-2
47
journalists like you who, like many unthinking politicians,
use their privileged positions to sway the unsettled emotions
of the people.
When it is your duty and mandate to present information
fairly and as objectively as you possibly can, newspaper
people like you prefer to be prejudiced and biased. When you
can bring about positive change in attitudes and morals
among Malaysians, you are in fact exacerbating what we do
not like about ourselves, namely our pettiness and backbiting
and hitting below the belt. Instead of trying to abate rising
political temperatures, you are adding fuel to fire! When you
should present reasoned argumentation you are resorting to
melodramatic interpretation!
Malaysians, young and old, must be allowed to think for
themselves and assess their leaders without instigation and
incitement. We know what we see and hear, do not doubt that!
Do not patronise us by filling the newspapers we pay for with
emotional hype!
Executive Editor Kamrul Idris responded to say that the NST
was not going to publish her letter because she was emotional,
judging by the number of exclamation marks she used in her
mail. He suggested that she, instead, writes to the Times of
London (which carries an NST-like editorial against Dr M
today):
Dear Datin:
It would be helpful if you were a bit more specific about your
substantive objections to Brendan's column, instead of
appearing emotional yourself (which I detect from the number
of exclamation marks in your e-mail). If we were to publish
letters to the editor about how newspapers should be run or
what columnists should write about, we would have to be
prepared for 25 million different responses. I agree that we
have to approach the Mahathir insurrection with cooler heads,
so here is the Times' Oct 30 editorial about him:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2427977,00.html.
Perhaps you might care to drop them a note, too.”
(xxx) 14.32
A post entitled “Disgraced Editor Resigns” dated
2.11.2006:-
519087-2
48
“DISGRACED EDITOR RESIGNS
Long chat with The Plagiarist. Hishamuddin Aun and Syed
Faisal Albar had a long chat with disgraced NST group
editor Brendan Pereira at the Balai Berita yesterday.
This morning, what they discussed appeared in the news
here: "New Group Editor for NST".
Will this be a turning point for NST? Dream on. For as long
as the other Singapore-trained operative Kalimullah Hassan
who planted Brendan at the NST, who is responsible for the
NST's current state and who is the author of the June 11 lies,
remains as the Editorial Adviser and Deputy Chairman of
the NSTP, and continues to rule men like Hisham and Syed
Faisal, the decline continues.”
(xxxi) 14.33
A post entitled “Ah, Syed Faisal!” dated 3.11.2006:-
“AH, SYED FAISAL!
Al-Pathetic.
"Our position is very clear; it is not (plagiarism). The
other (Mitch Albom's) piece did not revolve around the
Prime Minister of Malaysia or former Prime Minister.
Our content was original." - Syed Faisal Albar, CEO of
NSTP, on Brendan P's plagiarism scandal.
In major editorial crises like this one, you'd expect
Kalimullah Hassan as the NSTP Editorial Adviser or
Hishamuddin Aun as the Group Editor-in-Chief to stand up
for the profession. Instead, they have left it to Syed Faisal to
come out with a most pathetic defence.
Syed Faisal's defence of Brendan P was also left very late in
this NST on-line article about a threat by the NSTP to sue the
BBC if it does not retract the news story its correspondent in
KL had sent out yesterday on the plagiarism issue and
Brendan P's resignation.
The CEO said Brendan P's resignation had been announced
at a regional correspondent meeting on 18 August this year.
519087-2
49
Some of these correspondents will no doubt contest this
claim. I remember Kalimullah announcing Brendan P's
resignation on two earlier occasions; one of them was right
after he had made the announcement about the appointment of
the Singapore-trained Brendan P as the new Group Editor of
the NSTP!
Meanwhile, the world is reading about NST and Malaysia,
here and here.”
(xxxii) 14.34 A post entitled “NST’s New Journalism Order” dated
3.11.2006:-
“NST'S NEW JOURNALISM ORDER
In short, gag order. People at the NSTP have been alerting
me of a GAG order on Brendan P's plagiarism scandal and
anything related to the issue, including his resignation and
the issue regarding the BBC news report. Notices have been
pasted all over the office to warn the staff that the company
will take action against anyone who speak about the issue to
other media organisations, which may or may not include
blogs.”
(xxxiii) 14.35 A post entitled “NST Journalists: We Live in a Police
State” dated 4.11.2006:-
“NST JOURNALISTS: WE LIVE IN A POLICE STATE
Climate of fear at Balai Berita. At a Deepavali Open House
last night, the conversation revolved around Brendan P's
plagiarism, why the NSTP condones it, the attempt to
intimidate the BBC, the gag order on our colleagues from the
NSTP. Just then a young journalist from the NST walked up.
"Hi, I'm xxx from, er, Bernama (giggles). Er, no, actually
I'm from Singapore Straits Times (lol)."
519087-2
50
There are some 1,000 journalists at Balai Berita,
professionals who wield an instrument said to be mightier
than the sword but whose mouths have been stuffed by
yesterday's unprecedented gag order.
... no employees of the company are allowed to engage
in or provide comments to the public, Press
(international or local), television stations or any other
media organisations except for the Chairman of the
Board, Chief Executive Officer and the Group Editor in
Chief."
After the shock discovery that their group editor had
plagiarized the work of a American journalist and has quit
amid that scandal, the journalists at Balai Berita wanted
answers. They wanted Brendan P to face them and give them
his excuses. They wanted to ask the CEO why Brendan
should not be sacked and why his resignation takes effect on
Dec 31. They wanted to talk about plagiarism, the BIG sin.
They wanted the GEIC to tell them if they, too, can use their
positions as journalists to secure a small business contract
for their spouses.
No one saw the gag order coming. "When Tun (Dr
Mahathir) said Pak Lah is turning this country into a police
state, our editors rubbished him," a young editor from the
NST said. "Our papers rubbished him. Heck, some of us
rubbished him! But now, what gives? We are journalists and
we are not allowed to talk about these things? They are going
to sack me if I talk about plagiarism with Tok Najib (the
Deputy Prime Minister) and with my drinking buddies?"
"The company views this seriously and will not hesitate
to take action should this be compromised."
I have read about gag orders on journalists and the media by
governments in Iran, Poland and several other countries
widely considered as "police states".”
(xxxiv) 14.36 A post entitled “Syed Faisal’s Feisal’s Porn Mail” dated
5.11.2006:-
519087-2
51
“SYED FEISAL'S PORN MAIL
Editor wannabe Syed Feisal Albar, who came to the defence
of his plagiarist NST group editor late last week, will have a
chance to look Najib Abd Razak in the eye and tell him why
the Umno-owned Malay/Weekend Mail has turned to porn to
sell papers.
At the KL Umno Convention today, the DPM lambasted the
Kalimullah-led NSTP for allowing the Mail to degenerate to
a porn trash. "Memalukan (shameful)", he said. This week's
issue dedicated 57 of its 66 pages to sex. Front page blurbs
scream "Fetish Files", "Celebrity Sex", "Hooters!", "Pole
Dancing Tips", "Kinky Cakes".
The delegates took Najib's displeasure as a cue to scrutinize
the state of the (new) Malay Mail and its weekend edition.
Shahrizat Jalil, the Minister of Women, Family and
Community Development, spoke out angrily against the
newspaper editors for what they have done to one of the
country's oldest English-language newspapers.
Although he is the CEO of NSTP, Syed Feisal has put
himself directly in charge of the tabloid that was once known
as The Paper That Cares. Under his charge, the Malay Mail
changed from a paper that fought for the underdog to a
kinky rag. Readership and sales numbers have fallen
drastically in the past months and the desperation to check
the slide may explain why the Weekend Mail has dropped all
pretense of being a newspaper.
The Weekend Mail, by the way, is edited by an expatriate.”
(xxxv) 14.37
A post entitled “Smut Syed says Sorry” dated 6.11.2006:-
“SMUT SYED SAYS SORRY
YOU SHOULD BE SORRY
"Smut" Syed Faizal Albar did not apologise for Brendan P's
plagiarism because it would be seen as an admission of guilt,
an embarrassing defeat for Kalimullah Hassan. The CEO of
NSTP is made to say "WE ARE SORRY" in bold on the
519087-2
52
front page of the (New) Malay Mail today because it will be
an admission of guilt on his part (and nobody else's, not the
Editorial Adviser Kalimullah Hassan nor the Group Editorin-Chief Hishamuddin Aun).
But Smut Syed has been around long enough and should,
therefore, know that saying sorry does not absolve him of
liability and responsibility.
The on-going inquiry into this "offensive and distasteful"
chapter will find "editors" like "Mojo" M. Zul and "Sick"
Simon Burgess guilty of carelessness, which is as serious a
sin as plagiarism, or outright disregard for the acceptable
notion of decency. But like I said in my last posting, Smut
Syed is the one really in charge here. If they have to go down
for this, he must go down with them.
SO, WHO IS THIS "SICK" SIMON BURGESS? When
Smut Syed did the bidding for Kalimullah to squeeze me out
of the Malay/Sunday Mail, the official line he gave me was
they wanted to turn The Paper That Cares into a rag like
FHM and they could see that an editor like me would not fit
in. Truth is they had already spoken to Mojo M Zul from the
FHM soon after my fallout with Kalimullah and the Mail did
that expose on Pantai.
Sick Simon came into the picture much later and I was
aware of him only a couple of months ago. In this country,
we have "Mat Salleh" expats making good money and a
name for themselves as editors of various lifestyle magazines.
But a "Mat Salleh" as editor of an Umno-owned paper?
Singapore operatives running an Umno paper? We are
learning.”
14.37.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comments to the post entitled “Smut Syed says
Sorry” dated 6.11.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
519087-2
53
(i)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 11.05 p.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
Bro Rocky
I just do not understand after so many years of NEP and yet there is no
Melayu good enough for NST and the UMNO controlled NST under Kali,
the liar of the famous June 11 article, had to appoint a Mat Salleh to run
it. Malulah UMNO!!
UMNO under teh present PM is most disappointing and disgusting. He had
to appoint a Singapore operative - Kali, who is also a mamak and liar, to
run NST and he in turn appoint a plagiarist, Brendan Pereira, to be the
Group Editor.
Rocky, please do not be too happy that Brendan, the plagiarist, had tender
his resigtantion effective on 31-12-06. If I am not mistaken, there was no
report of NST accepting the plagiarist's resignation. May be the resignation
and appointmetn of Syed NAdzri was just a plohy to take the heat out from
Brendan, the plagiarist and fellow Singapore operative. Anyhting can
happen between now and 31-12-06. The liar Kali, can always come out
with all kind of reasons to keep the plagiarist Brendan, who is also a fellow
Singapore operative.
I just want to caution you and the readers about it. Let not be distracted by
Smut Feizal's apology. Kali, the liar, as the nst advisor and de facto GEIC,
should be hte person who should apology and instructing Smut Feizal a
small little fly, to take the wrap.
I do not understnad why there are so many "Smut Feizal" in the NST to
carry all the shits on behalf of Kali, the liar. MELAYU TAK ADA
MARUAH?????
Brendan Pereira, the plagiarist, should apologise and resign now for
plagiarising other people work - beside lying like Kali, is the worst type of
"crimne" in journalism. Brendan, arn't you ashame of yourself and stay
on working inthe nst when everyone know that you are a plagiarist.
I sam wating to see whether Kali (the liar) controlled nst dare to sue the
BBC. I bet Kali has no ball to sue. BBC, well done, you have called Kali his
bluff!!!
11:05 PM”
519087-2
54
(ii)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 1.14 a.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
Rocky,
The Melayu at the NST are the most pitiful. Where is the Ketuanan Melayu?
Down the drain that's why the Singapore operative, kali - the liar mamak,
had to appoint a mat salleh to head the Melayu.
The UMNO boys are also asleep like their President, Mr undurLAH.
Syed Feisal apologised. That was not good enough. The CEO of NST, Kali,
should be brave enough to take the responsibility and resign. But Kali
cannot resign because he had to be there to spin the stories to defmae others
for his poltiical master, Mr undurLAH. Kali cannot resign because he had to
be there to protect himself over the ECM Libra scandal. Kali cannot resign
because he had to protect many of his friends in business otherwise they will
be exposed. One of them is Datuk Tony Fernadez of AirAsia.
Problems with MAS will be highlighted in NST but none on AirAsia - like
flights delay as long as 6 hours never got reported. The NST was publishing
postive articles after articles before AirAsia got listed.
Please observe that problems with AirAisa never seen print in the NST or
Star. They are all controlled by Kali indirectly.
No one is infallable. Trust me Kali, you have done a disservice to journalism
in NST and you have bled our wealth through the ECM Libra scandal, your
final home is in SUNGEI BULUH!!! Of course, you will have Kamaludin
and Khairy as your cellmates.
1:14 AM”
(xxxvi) 14.38 A post entitled “Mojo Zul Gang-Banged” dated 7.11.2006:-
“MOJO ZUL GANG-BANGED
519087-2
55
Dirty threesome suspends Editor. Former magistrate M. Zul
was a contributing editor with a small men's magazine when
they took him earlier this year and threw him to the deepest
end of Malaysian journalism.
Late yesterday, the loathsome threesome of NSTP chief
executive officer Syed Faizal Albar, Group Editor-in-Chief
Hishamuddin Aun, and Editorial Adviser Kalimullah Hassan
decided that M. Zul should drown alone. Absolving
themselves of any blame, the three ordered M. Zul to be
suspended from his job pending the outcome of an inquiry
into the "smut" issue of Weekend Mail, which is edited by a
foreigner.
The suspension came just hours after the PM, who put Kali
at the NSTP in 2004 to mess things up, commented from
from Islamabad on the "smut" issue. [Click here to read the
PM's response].
Plagiarise again, Plagiarist. In the meantime, no disciplinary
action has been taken against Brendan P, The Plagiarist.
There will not be a domestic inquiry, either. On the contrary,
Syed Faizal and gang published yesterday Brendan's weekly
column, now wholly dedicated, it seems, to taking potshots at
Dr M . By now, of course, Brendan P shoots blanks.
Who'd believe what a plagiarist writes?”
14.38.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Mojo Zul GangBanged” dated 7.11.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
519087-2
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 2.51 p.m.:-
56
“Anonymous said...
Bro Rocky
You are great bro. you always has juicy stuff for Malaysians. The rate you
are going, we do not need the mainstream media anymore for they are either
lying or telling 1/4 truth. It is a waste of our money. We better contribute to
you getting a new computer where you can get the news to us faster.
Sacking the small again in NST. The buck stops at Kali, the liar of June 11
article, desk. He must not abdicate his responsibilities by pushing to his
subordinate. A good boss always take all the responsibilities for the faults
of his subordinate. A liar boss will push the responsibilities to his
subordinate. This is the difference between a good boss and a pariah boss.
Rocky, are you sure Brendan, the Plagiarist, will defintiely resign from his
shameful act of plagiarising other people works? Can you post a short
article on this subject as I do not believe the Liar-Mulah would really let
Brendan, the plagiarist, to go just like that. Then Liar-Mullah has no more
Plagiarist to defame and attack others in the UMNO newspapers.
Where are the Melayus in UMNO and NST? Please stand up be counted.
SUrely the UMNO boys and NST Melayu have some pride and not let the
Liar-Mullah (Mamak), Brendan Pariah and the Sick Burgess Mat Salleh
ruining nst before the Malaysians.
The Melayu in UMNO and nst have no balls - may be Oklah! but no pride
as well???? Malulah my fellow Melayu!!!! Please stand up and tell LairMulah, the mamak, that leave NST alone and play with ECM Libra - there
are more moneies there.
2:51 PM”
(xxxvii) 14.39 A post entitled “Malay Mail’s 9/11” dated 9.11.2006:-
“MALAY MAIL'S 9/11
Will anyone miss the Weekend Mail?
Before the smut, the Weekend Mail was printing just about
70,000 copies. Given the Mail's traditionally high return rate
of unsold copies, we can safely estimate that some 50,000
people paid RM2 each every weekend to read the rag: 25,000
519087-2
57
on Saturday and another 25,000 on Sunday. Not too many.
The (murdered) Sunday Mail, which was edited by Aishah
Ali until April 23 this year, was doing 50,000 copies on a bad
day and the (old) Malay Mail was cruising at over 40,000
copies easily before there was Kalimullah Hassan
.
Syed Faisal Albar will miss the Weekend Mail. Those 50K
copies mean RM100k in circulation revenue. If the suspension
lasts till the end of the year, that would mean more than RM1
million down the drain.
And with The Malay Mail (Mon-Fri) struggling to stay above
20,000 copies a day and with little advertisement coming in, a
prolonged suspension of the Weekend Mail could ruin the
NSTP chief executive officer's already badly-tainted KPI.
Consolation will come in the form of not having to pay Simon
Burgess and M. Zul the fat salaries that they draw should the
company decide to roast both raw editors. Syed Faisal could
bring back the Sunday Mail. He should also demand a refund
for the US$1 million they paid the consultants for this troubled
"re-invention" of the Mail.”
(xxxviii) 14.40 A post entitled “Kali’s Fall Guys” dated 13.11.2006:-
“KALI'S FALL GUYS
Editors of smut rag take the rap. The writing was on the wall.
Former magistrate M. Zul and expat Simon Burgess have quit
the Malay/Weekend Mail. Their departure was announced by
Syed Faisal Albar late yesterday through a memo pinned on
the notice boards of Balai Berita. The future of The Weekend
Mail, launched hardly five months ago and suspended by the
Internal Security Ministry last week after the "smut" issue,
remains unclear but for the remaining editors that isn't their
biggest worry. Their primary concern is to save the 110-year
Malay Mail, the country's oldest English-language daily,
from further decline. To foolishly carry on the "new" Malay
Mail's spirit is to head for certain and sad end. To go back to
what the Malay Mail used to be would require some of the
directors will have to eat humble pie.
M. Zul and Simon Burgess probably never knew half the story
519087-2
58
of how and why they had been there in the first place, plucked
from obscurity to spearhead what just two years ago was the
fastest-selling English-language rag in the country. Not that
they would have cared then (and now it's none of their
business anymore). They must be told now, however, that they
are scapegoats. The real culprit for all this mess at the Mail
is Kalimullah Hassan, Editorial Adviser and Deputy
Chairman of the NSTP. This man is still around, playing
dumb while others take the fall, and taking home a real fat
salary for doing nothing but harm to the NSTP from the first
day he arrived as its GEIC in 2004.”
(xxxix) 14.41 A post entitled “Singapore Journalists Better?” dated
20.11.2006:-
“Singapore journalists better?
Return of the Singapore trainer. The NST is bringing back
Ravi Veloo, plagiarist Brendan P's affidavit comrade from
Singapore, to conduct another training session for the
tabloid's subs later this month. But before that Brendan P will
bring in a Debbie to teach the Malaysian journalists a thing or
two about oral journalism and remind them that Singapore has
its pretty side, too.
Not on the curriculum. Plagiarism as a subject in journalist,
of course, will be taboo. Not after Brendan P has resigned
amid the plagiarism row. And not since the NSTP is suing
the BBC for its report.
Plagiarism and Singapore.
In any case, a survey by the National University of
Singapore, Brendan P's alma mater, found that students who
have studied in Singapore for more than five years have
lower awareness of plagiarism!
No wonder they could not tell! [Click here for the findings of
the survey].”
519087-2
59
(xl) 14.42
A
post
entitled
“Group
Editor
Designate”
dated
30.11.2006:-
“Group Editor Designate
Plagiarist goes on leave. Tomorrow, Dec 1, could be a
turning point for the long-suffering NST. Brendan P, the
former Straits Times Singapore operative, will start his
month-long leave before his resignation (amid the plagiarism
row) takes effect at the end of December.
Seasoned journalist Syed Nadzri Syed Harun will be the group
editor designate from tomorrow and come January 1, he'll be
the Group Editor.”
14.42.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comments to the post entitled “Group Editor
Designate” dated 30.11.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 11.49 p.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
Dear Rocky
Knowing the plagiarist, Brendan P, and his immediate boss, Kalimullah, I
am not sure that Brendan P (a.k.a Singaproe Operative) will really leave
NST especially he was been well taken care of in NST with fat salary an
perks. Further, Brendan P, the plagiarist, is the only Indian and SIngaproe
operative, who was able to be the boss to many Melayu in an UMNO
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controlled company.
Until the plagiarist finally leave NST then I will congratulate Syed Nadzri,
who is an honest professional journaslist. I am concerned that Syed Nadzri
may not fit into Kalimullah set up. Unless Syed Nadzri was prepared ot lie
like what Kalimullah did in his famouse Juen 11 article concerning the
meeting between Tun and ABB in Japan - just in case you have forgotten ,
Rocky.
So sorry Syed Nadzri because I feel it is too premature to congratulate you
because of the current administration in NST as well as government.
My advice to Syed Nadzri, please "kow tow" to the Son-In-Law and you will
defintely be the Group Editor of NST.
Knowing Syed Nadzri he will not succumb to such character. So Syed Nadzri
please keep up with your principles and be the Syed Nadzri that we know for
many many years.
11:49 PM ”
(ii)
A comment by ‘NST Newsdesk Dude’ at 10.54
a.m.:-
“NST Newsdesk Dude said...
Did you write that the plagiarist will go on leave on Dec 1? What dope have
you been smoking? The bloody plagiarist is still lording on the NST
newsroom. Perhaps someone forgot to told him to scram. Or maybe Syed
Smut pulled a fast one on all of us when he announced the plagiarist's
resignation. The Plagiarist is still giving out instructions and sitting at the
newsdesk as if he is chained to the chair. Syed Smut now joins the ranks of
the liars, spinners and cheaters. What a scam! Now we hear that the
plagiarist may go on leave only somewhere near X'mas. That's not fast
enough. Many people are disheartened not so much by the guy not getting
lost but by the deception that is going on. They have used the NST like a
prostitute. How much more can the Grand Old Dame spread her legs for
these bastards? Hoi, Umno Supreme Council members who clamoured for
Brendan's head? wake up! You just been conned!
10:54 AM”
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(xli) 14.43
A post entitled “Making up a quote or two” dated
23.12.2006 and:-
“Making up a quote or two
Of Mukhriz Mahathir, Media Ethics and Mercenary Editors.
Every newspaper carried the piece on Mukhriz Mahathir being
given that stern warning never again to criticize the PM and
party president, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
But none except the NST had this purported quotes from
Mukhriz:
Asked why he took so long to apologise to Umno Youth,
Mukhriz said he was told to give his side of the story at
yesterday’s exco meeting.
"I now wait to meet Pak Lah to personally apologise to
him."
The Bernama reporter and others who covered the meeting
last Thursday must be wondering where the NST reporter got
that one-liner. Mukhriz's one-liner, as quoted by Bernama
and the others, was:
Meanwhile, Mukhriz, when met by reporters later, said
he concurred with what was said by Hishammuddin.
Asked what was he going to explain in his meeting with
Abdullah, he said:
"Let that be between me and the prime minister."
The above may be trivial to someone like Zahid Hamidi, who
seems concerned only with blogging ethics. But such
intentional misreporting, like Kalimullah Hassan's June 11
fabrication, is meant to inflict maximum damage and is
detrimental to society.
Which is why the deputy minister should take a hard look at
the ethics of the current crop of pro-government mercenary
editors and why he should speak up and not let Utusan
Melayu go down NSTP's way.”
14.43.1.
The defendant has further published or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
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comment to the post entitled “Making up a quote or
two” dated 3.12.2006 (bold and highlighted
passages being defamatory of the 1st plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by ‘Anonymous’ at 1.36 p.m.:-
“Anonymous said...
Dear Rocky
Ethic strictly applies to NST, Star, Berita Harian and Utusan - more so NST.
NST has been used by KaliUlar and Brendan for the last 2 years as their
toys to play and to provide disinformation, lies and plagiarised articles.
Taht is waht NST is good for.
NST, under KaliUlar, is working hand in glove with Son-In-law not to
defend the "I do Not Know" PM strictly but more to protect themselves by
keeping the "I do Not Knwo PM" at the realm as logn as possible.
So KaliUlar had to lies and lies - this is ethic to KaliUlar. This is how he
survive all these years. That is why he got a "Leg On" through ECM
Libra! A small company can take over a govenmetn owned comapny KaliUlar you are an economic genius!
1:36 PM”
(xlii) 14.44
A post entitled “Blog ethics” dated 2.12.2006:-
“Blog ethics
Deflect the blogs. Zahid Hamidi does not want the public to be
deceived by incorrect information and accusations by bloggers
and wants the mainstream media to help government in putting
the record straight. The Deputy Information Minister also
wants bloggers to adopt good ethics and be responsible in
their writing.
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"They should have ethics ... everyone have ethics and
self-respect. We hope the bloggers will also have ethics
and self respect."
I am all for positive ethics and taking bloggers to account.
Zahid, however, should be reminded that the mainstream
media in this country aren't swell in the ethics department.
Senior editors appointed by the Prime Minister to head the
NSTP write blatant lies in their columns and plagiarize, and
Zahid has never lifted a finger. He should know better than
ask unethical journalists to deflect the blogs for the
government when they could not even defend themselves
against these blogs!
[read Zahid's call for blogger ethics here]”
14.1 14.45
The above posts and the relevant passages therein that are
defamatory of the 1st plaintiff are further reproduced and
highlighted in full in APPENDIX A hereto.
15.
The defendant has published and/or caused to be published the
following posts and/or comments of and concerning the 2nd plaintiff
which are defamatory (the bold and highlighted passages being
defamatory of the 2nd plaintiff):-
(i) 15.1
A post entitled “Erasing Dr M” dated 8.6.2006:-
“ERASING DR M
Bandit, a visitor to this blog, wrote this paragraph in a longish comment he left in response to my last posting (FOR
ADULTS ONLY?).
..."In the meantime, let's not ignore the true mission of the
NST 2004-2006 Edition: it is painstakingly trying to
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deconstruct all facets of Mahathirism. If possible, they are
undertaking historic revisionism and erasing all the good
that Dr M did but boosting all the bad he committed, if ever."
Try placing the paragraph in the perspective of Dr Mahathir
Mohamad's outburst against his successor and our Prime
Minister yesterday.”
15.1.1.
The defendant has further published, or allowed for
publication, to members of the public the following
comment to the post entitled “Erasing Dr M” dated
8.6.2006 (bold and highlighted passages being
defamatory of the 2nd plaintiff):-
(i)
A comment by “General Tojo” at 1.32 p.m.:-
“General Tojo said...
zorro, I agree with you. The spinners are at work. We should not honour
them with such titles as spinmasters or spinmeisters. They are half-past six
middle-ranking ex-foreign correspondents and sports writers. Please don't
smear the memories of great nst/bh editors like Tan Sri Lee and Tan Sri
Nordin Sophie.
They people are not even in the league of Captain Jack Sparrow. At least
was honourable. But these people hujacked the PM and poisoned him
mind on the Old Man. Mr Pereira, being ex-Straits Times journalist never
liked the Old Man. Kali is the lallang in the wind. He goes where the wind
blows and where there's money to be made. But the real power, I think, is
Khairy Jamaluddin. He sleeps with the PM's daughter (halal of course) in
Seri Perdana. It does not surprime me if his company or kaki got the contract
to renovate Seri Perdana. He is the puppet master to Kali, Brendan, Hisham
and the spineless Umno Youth chief.
1:32 PM”
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