DAP Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik has threatened to sue Malay daily Utusan Malaysia  and two women over allegations that the rep had called the women "traitors to the nation".

satees denied mic allegation 240709 ng weik aik The embattled Ng said he was forced to take legal action to clear his name over the alleged incident on Nov 21, at Jalan Gurdwara, where a fire had earlier broken out at about 2am on Tuesday.

The Umno-owned Utusan on Wednesday reported that Ng had verbally insulted Sarimah Packeer Mohd, 43, and Fatimah Sharmin Abdullah, 30, over their marriage to foreigners.

The two women lodged a police report on Ng's alleged comment at the Jalan Pattani police station following the incident, while the Komtar rep had denied the allegations and lodged his own police report at the same station.

According to Ng, Fatimah is a Chinese Muslim, while Sarimah is an Indian Muslim, both married to Bangladeshi men.

"I could not have issued the remarks to Fatimah Sharmin if I had not met her at all on that fateful day.

“How could I utter 'racist' comments to Sarimah Packeer when I did not directly speak to her?" he said.

The political secretary to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng added that he will instruct his lawyers to send a legal notice to the trio if they failed to retract their statement or police report on the matter.

‘Bangladeshi shop fire hazard’

Meanwhile Ng said the illegal recycling shop run by the Bangladeshis that had allegedly caused the said fire had received many complaints from the residents and businesspeople in the area.

He admitted he is utterly dissatisfied with the shop for being a possible fire hazard.

The same shop was allegedly related to another recent fire in nearby Jalan Noordin, where the recycling shop had been operating before it moved to Jalan Gurdwara.

"All the witnesses who were on the site can prove that I never made the racist remark, including saying the words ‘traitor to the nation’, as claimed by the parties," said Ng.    

"I never chased the Bangladeshis and told them to go home to their original country although I am firm in my belief that stern action should be taken against illegal foreigners," he added.

Yesterday, Penang police chief Ayub Yaacob said the police will be calling several other witnesses to record their statements and the case would be investigated under Section 500 of the Penal Code.

‘Utusan played up issue’

Ng was upset that Utusan has continued to play up the issue by quoting state BN leaders who condemned the alleged act despite the assemblyperson’s denials.

In its report on Thursday, Utusan quoted state Umno liaison committee chief Zainal Abidin Osman saying that Ng's remarks were "unjust" and should not have been thrown so conveniently at the two women over their personal choice to marry foreigners.

Zainal Abidin said despite the rep’s differing opinion, the women’s marriages were done according to the country's laws.

"To me, the definition of traitor to the nation is when someone goes overseas and denigrates the country, until investors don’t want to invest here and our economy does not develop as done by the opposition....then we describe it as traitorous," Utusan quoted him saying.

"On the other hand, if it just involves two women who need help because they have encountered difficulties, we must help them without considering whether they are married to foreigners or not our voters," he added.

"But this is the DAP, what is important (to them) is politics and votes, they are willing to describe the women as traitors to the nation and do not want to help them," he added.

‘Disappointed with BN leaders’

Joining the fray, state Gerakan Youth chief Oh Tong Keong had told reporters that a state assemblyperson ought to carry out his duties with total responsibility and act justly towards the people.        

Oh, who had visited the site of the fire, said the fire “was an accident", and not an incident that one should take lightly.

"He (Ng) has to be responsible, he cannot blame others as traitors of the nation," he added.

Ng, the state DAP secretary, expressed deep disappointment with the BN leaders’ remarks.

"I terribly regret that Umno leaders and state Gerakan Youth chief Oh Tong Keong continue to blame me without knowing what really happened," he said.

"But the interests of the residents in my constituency need to be protected so that they do not live in fear (of fire) any more," he added.