Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng won his defamation suit against Utusan Malaysia in the Penang High Court today.

The suit is related to a 2008 article in the Umno-linked Malay daily that said Lim would abolish the New Economic Policy.

Lim was awarded RM200,000 in compensation and RM20,000 in costs.

This is his second court victory against Utusan .

NONE Lim ( right ) filed a defamation suit against Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad over the article in Utusan Malaysia dated March 12, 2008, under the heading ‘ Tiada Lagi DEB ’.

On Jan 11, 2009, Lim testified that he did not say he was going to abolish or ‘ menghapuskan ’ the NEP but that he would run the government administration free from the NEP that breeds “cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency”

The article, he added, took his statement out of context  to imply that he wanted to abolish the NEP.

He had stressed that the article also, among other things, implied that he was an “irresponsible and unworthy” leader.

Although he had repeatedly clarified to the media on March 13 and 14 that year that he did not want to abolish the NEP, the defendant continued to defame him, Lim said.

The article led to a big protest against Lim with about 1,000 people led by several Umno leaders, around Komtar after Friday prayers on March 14.