I refer to the Malaysiakini report Editor ticked off for 'mischievous' blog posting which refer to an alleged so-called ‘secret’ agreement between the DAP, PAS and PKR.

There have been numerous comments in various blogs on the issue, most of which are personal attacks or even character assassination of the two main persons involved – DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and The Star Group Editor-in-Chief Wong Chun Wai.

I write to offer a word of advice to those debating the issue. One rule everyone needs to observe is to deal with the issue at hand and not attack a person’s character.

Both Kit and Chun Wai are my good friends and throughout the years I have known them, they are gentlemen who will attack issues but not persons.

Kit has never said any unkind word against any person, although he will not hesitate to challenge a person’s faults and oppose his views. Even in his attack on the person’s views, he has always been very careful with the facts and figures.

He doesn’t condemn any view without justification. Take the case of Lee Lam Thye who quit the DAP. Or Kua Kia Siong. Kit didn’t say anything bad against them for abandoning the party. He even told other party leaders not to attack the characters of these two persons.

He had also never hit out personally against those in the Koks (Knock Out Kit Siang) plot, but bore the hurt without damning these former party leaders, many of them groomed by him personally.

Even when dealing with BN leaders, he doesn’t attack their character but rather on their misdeeds such as immorality and corrupt practices.

He is gentleman enough to go and greet the prime minister at the latter’s Hari Raya open house each year.

I don’t think Kit was attacking Chun Wai personally. He was simply reacting angrily against what he perceives as a distortion of the facts. That is Kit, a gentleman par excellence.

As for Chun Wai, I can vouch that he is also a gentleman and true journalist. Although we don’t see eye to eye on many political issues, I have much respect for him as a journalist of integrity.

To allege that he was given the top job of editor-in-chief and awarded a Datuk-ship because of his being an alleged pawn of the MCA and BN is a very unfair and the unkindest cut.

I have been a journalist for nearly 35 years and I know Chun Wai from his first day as a journalist nearly 24 years ago. I can say that Chun Wai reached the pinnacle of journalism by sheer hard work and demonstrative abilities. He is intelligent, articulate and, you may be surprised to know, humble to boot.

No, I am not saying all these to curry favour because I need the contract job in The Star . I am a God-fearing Christian who will not allow injustice and unrighteousness to flourish, even against those I disagree with. I will stand up and defend anyone unjustly condemned.

I may disagree with what Chun Wai wrote but I respect his God-given right to write what he believed to be the right thing.

My plea to fellow Malaysians is that we should learn to respect and even love each other, irrespective of colour, creed, culture, conviction and class.

Attack the issue but not the person. Remember everyone of us is a creature of God.