Yesterday, 30th March 2001, Utusan Malaysia in a front-page report entitled �Bekas Duta Amerika hadiri pertemuan sulit Keadilan� in connection with the Keadilan�s briefing for the diplomatic corps and NGOs leaders on Anwar Ibrahim�s health situation at Shah Motel, Petaling Jaya on 29th March 2001 reported that among opposition leaders who attended this �secret briefing� were DAP National Chairman Lim Kit Siang and DAP Secretary-General Kerk Kim Hock.
A similar report was carried by Bernama yesterday.
Both these reports are untrue and baseless, containing �false news�, as both of us had not attended any such �secret briefing� on Anwar�s health situation at the hotel concerned.
Utusan Malaysia and Bernama publised the �false news� with the serious insinuation we are disloyal in consorting with foreign powers to work against the national interests of Malaysia.
The police should investigate whether these �false news� in Utusan Malaysia and Bernama were part of a premeditated and pre-planned campaign to create the conditions for a virulent attack against the Opposition to be mounted by the Barisan Nasional leaders, as the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad did in Negri Sembilan after meeting state UMNO leaders yesterday.
Mahathir accused Parti Keadilan Nasional of inviting foreigners to �meddle� in the internal affairs of the country and undermining Malaysia�s independence.
The Prime Minister and the UMNO leaders should not go on a wild rampage against the Opposition and must accept the fact that we are living in the Information Technology era where information travels at the speed of light.
It is common practice in any country for the nationals to brief foreign diplomats about the current developments and trends in the country and for foreign diplomats to get briefing about the events in the country they are posted, and the government will make Malaysia a laughing stock in the international community in pretending that such contacts exceed the bounds of diplomatic propriety and constitute impermissible interference in the national sovereignty of the country concerned.
There is nothing unusual in the briefing given by Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail about the health situation of her husband, Anwar Ibrahim, and the authorities should not try to make a mountain out of a molehill.
May be Azizah should in future invite RTM to telecast live such briefings so that Mahathir and the other Barisan Nasional leaders could not exaggerate and magnify very straightforward briefings into something heinous, treasonous and even having the makings of an international incident, although I understand very well why she would want to exclude the Barisan Nasional-controlled media who have no notion of the most elementary notions of a free, independent and responsible press.
It is reported that foreign diplomats who have attended Azizah�s briefing were those from the United States, France, Indonesia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Is Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional government seriously suggesting that these six countries have ganged up in an international conspiracy against the Malaysian government in violation of our national sovereignty and independence?
If this is the case, is the Foreign Minister going to summon the High Commissioners/Ambassadors of these countries to deliver strong protest notes by the government warning these foreign countries not to interfere in Malaysia�s independence and national sovereignty, with the threat to expel the �recalcitrant� foreign diplomats and igniting an international diplomatic row between Malaysia and six countries?
This scenario sounds so ludicrous that Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional
leaders should spare Malaysia becoming the butt of international
jokes and they should immediately stop going on a wild
rampage over Azizah�s briefing of the diplomatic corps and NGO leaders
on Anwar�s health situation.
(31/3/2001)
The Police Report:
On 30th March 2001, Utusan Malaysia in a front-page report entitled �Bekas Duta Amerika hadiri pertemuan sulit Keadilan� in connection with the Keadilan�s briefing for the diplomatic corps and NGOs leaders on Anwar Ibrahim�s health situation at Shah Motel, Petaling Jaya on 29th March 2001 committed the offence of publishing �false news� under the Printing Presses and Publications Act.Utusan Malaysia reported that among opposition leaders who attended this �secret briefing� were DAP National Chairman Lim Kit Siang and DAP Secretary-General Kerk Kim Hock.
A similar report was carried by Bernama on 30th March 2001. Copies of Utusan Malaysia and Bernama reports are attached.
Both these reports are untrue and baseless, as both of us had not attended any such Keadilan briefing on Anwar�s health situation at the hotel concerned.
The Utusan Malaysia and Bernama publised �false news� with the serious insinuation we are disloyal in consorting with foreign powers to work against the national interests of Malaysia.
Kerk Kim Hock
Lim Kit Siang31st March 2001