Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 17.7.2016.
In the past 4 months, the BN-controlled print and broadcasting media had gone into overdrive with their systematic campaign of character assassination against me by hurling unfounded allegations of corruption involving the sale by open tender of 1 acre of Taman Manggis land. Despite nightly TV reports and acres of newsprint on Taman Manggis land, no corruption charge was filed against me relating to Taman Manggis.
Instead corruption charges were filed against me on another unrelated matter where Ms Phang, the seller of my house, was alleged to benefit from having her land rezoned from agriculture to housing. To-date Ms Phang’s land remained zoned as agriculture, following the rejection of her application by the local authority. Clearly, BN intends to create history by finding me guilty of corruption even though Ms Phang did not gain any benefit. On the other hand, BN considers those who have benefited with billions of US dollars in their personal bank accounts innocent and not guilty of corruption.
Such dirty tricks continue with more false allegations on other matters. I have instructed my lawyers to send a legal notice of demand for defamation against “The Star” and its columnist Joceline Tan for its false and misleading report today , “Snap election for Penang?”. BN-controlled media like The Star had persistently demonised and continued their character assassination against me after 2 trumped-up charges of corruption were filed against me by the Attorney-General on 30 June 2016.
Whilst there is nothing new with these repeated attempts to disrupt party unity and the Penang state government with serial lies, this column by Joceline Tan clearly “crossed the red line” and was made in bad faith to smear my reputation and image with fresh and baseless allegations of impropriety.
This is not the first time that Jocelin Tane and The Star had defamed me. I had filed a defamation suit against her and The Star in 2012, which was finally resolved when an apology was published in The Star on 27 October 2013 that states, “The Star fully and unconditionally withdraws the false contents and extends to YAB Lim Guan Eng unreservedly its sincere apologies for any embarrassment caused to him.”
LIM GUAN ENG