Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has refused to apologise for allegedly ‘defaming’ Umno by accusing it of involvement in a suspected arson attack on the state DAP headquarters last month.

State Umno liaison committee chief Zainal Abidin Osman had also held Lim responsible for alleging that the party had organised a ‘violent’ protest around Komtar and Penang bridge in July.

NONE Lim today received a letter of demand from Umno lawyers, telling him to apologise or withdraw his statements, or face a RM30 million civil defamation suit.

Unfazed, Lim said he was prepared to meet Umno in court to thrash out the matter, adding it was senseless to apologise to a “party that lies”.

He said Umno was in fact the party responsible for ‘slander and lies’ hurled against the state government, and that it should apologise or else the latter would counter sue if necessary.

Lim said he would will “fight Umno to the end”, and was waiting to see the party leaders in court soon so that the facts surrounding their allegations would be exposed.

“I hope Umno will not be a coward and will wait for us in court. It is not that we like to fight or are brave, but because we want the truth,” he said.

“We cannot bow to those who slander and tell lies. We will fight them as we are brave because we are upholding truth... facts give us the courage to face up to a bigger power that is Umno.”

On allegations that Umno was responsible for the suspected arson attack, Lim denied that he had directly blamed the party for it.

NONE He also refuted Umno’s denial that it had not organised the protest by several local NGOs around Komtar and Penang bridge.

“We will ask reporters who were present at those events to be witnesses. Look at the photos, can you identify Umno’s senator Ezam Mohd Nor and state deputy youth chief Norman Dahlan in the crowd?” Lim asked, while showing photographs taken of the protest.

“It is not true to say that Umno was not involved in the protest at all. Even though they had joined the NGOs that day, they represent Umno,” he added.

'Who is behind arson attack?'

Lim's political secretary Ng Wei Aik expressed hope that the police will not act immediately against his boss just because Umno had lodged a report against him for criminal defamation.

penang lodge mcmc report against blogger 210910 ng wei aik He questioned if Umno had lodged the report because it lacks confidence in its impending civil suit against Lim.

"If they lack confidence in their case, they should not sue Lim. Are they trying to use their power to pressure the police to take action against the chief minister?"

Ng (right) accused Umno of using its power at the federal level to pressure the police to act against Lim.He challenged the police to identify and arrest the suspects in the arson attack.

"Why have no suspects been arrested until now? We want to know who is behind the arson attack," he said.

He urged the police to remain professional and warned he would lodge a report against them if they fail in their duty. 

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