The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today postponed to May 18 the hearing of a RM30-million defamation suit filed by Penang Umno liaison committee chairperson Zainal Abidin Osman against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over the latter’s statement allegedly associating him with a demonstration and an attempt to torch the Penang DAP office.  

Justice Amelia Tee Hong Geok Abdullah set the date in chambers in the presence of lawyers Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos, representing Zainal Abidin, and Sangeet Kaur Deo and Latheefa Koya, representing Lim.

She set four days - May 18, 21, 23 and 24 - for the hearing, which was originally set to begin today.  

Sangeet Kaur told reporters the case was postponed because Lim and his lawyer Jagdeep Singh Deo, who is the state assemblyperson for Datuk Keramat, had to attend the Penang state assembly sitting until May 10.

Zainal Abidin, 52, filed the suit on Oct 24 last year. Apart from Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, the other defendants named are Parti Keadilan Rakyat as the owner of the online news portal Keadilan Daily and newspaper Suara Keadilan , Segmen Fleksibel Sdn Bhd as the publishing company of Keadilan Daily and Suara Keadilan , and its chief sub-editor, Fazallah Pit.  

In his statement of claim, Zainal Abidin alleged that on July 3, Lim had released a press statement via email and later published it in Keadilan Daily on July 3 and Suara Keadilan on July 5.  

Zainal Abidin said Lim’s statement, among others, meant that he was purportedly involved in trying to overthrow the Penang chief minister through illegal means as well as conceal his involvement in a demonstration at Komtar and the Penang Bridge on July 1.

He said that on Aug 18, Lim issued another hurtful statement in front of a group of journalists which was published on news website The Malaysian Insider on the same day.  

Zainal Abidin said, among others, the statements inferred that he planned to sabotage the DAP party premises in Penang and that he was involved in stirring up an attempt to set the premises on fire.  

He said that as a result of the statement, his reputation had been damaged and it affected his party’s trust in him.   

Zainal Abidin is seeking RM30 million in compensation, interest, costs and other relief deemed appropriate by the court and an injunction to prevent all the defendants from continuing to issue or publish the allegedly defamatory statements.

- Bernama