Former Perak menteri besar Nizar Jamalluddin has issued an ultimatum to Umno-linked daily Utusan Malaysia and free television channel TV3 to run an apology for “manipulating” the former’s tweet on the Johor ruler’s RM520,000 bid for the WWW1 car registration number.

The Bukit Gantang PAS parliamentarian gave both the media outlets seven days to publish the apology or face legal repercussions.

NONE At a press conference at the Parliament lobby today, Nizar ( right in photo ) said he had lodged two police reports on the Malay-language newspaper and the television channel this morning.

He said the letters of demand, served today, were for TV3 is to apologise for airing “remarks” attributed to Nizar during its prime time news, Buletin Utama , at 8pm on May 30 and Utusan to apologise for a similar report published on May 31.

“My tweet did not state anything of that nature... so I feel it is our responsibility to clear it up,” he said.

Nizar, on micro-blogging website Twitter , talked about Sultan Ibrahim’s RM520,000 bid for the iconic number-plate, which stands for “world wide web” and reportedly beat 10,000 other bidders for the car registration number.

“R M520k bolih dibelanjakan membantu rakyat melayu Johor yg masih ramai miskin serta memerlukan bantuan utk kprluan hidup, bina 20 rumah PPRT! ” (RM520,000 can be spent on poor Malays in Johor who need help to survive, and build 20 Hardcore Poor Development Programme houses!)” Nizar tweeted.

Incensed, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, countered on Twitter that public funds were not used in the bid for the number-plate.

Johor police subsequently received 46 reports against Nizar and recorded his statement for investigation under the Sedition Act.

However, Nizar claimed that tabloid Kosmo! , wholly-owned subsidiary of Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd, has been playing up the issue long before it was revealed that the car registration number was bought over by the Johor ruler.

“ Kosmo! has been following up on the bid for the number plate and in one of its reports on May 25, there were infographics stating that the RM520,000 could have been used to purchase a three-storey house in Bangi, Selangor, or a BMW, or a shoplot in a business district in Shah Alam or 2.777kg of 916-certified gold,” Nizar had said.

VIDEO l 5.23 mins