Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia today slammed Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for suing a PAS MP, who is part of the Pakatan coalition, declaring that the DAP secretary-general needed lessons in free speech.

 

Under the name of Awang Selamat, the pseudonym used by the newspaper to express its editorial stance, it described Lim as "arrogant".

 

"The world has changed and become more open but Guan Eng is still under the old way of thinking.

 

"Awang wish to propose that he take classes, where ever he so favours, on openness, as well as on understanding the media and free speech," it said in Mingguan Malaysia , the Sunday edition of Utusan Malaysia .

 

The daily was referring to Lim who yesterday served a letter of demand against PAS' Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan for the latter's criticism of his handling of the Penang undersea tunnel project.

 

"In the case of Nasrudin's criticism, Guan Eng would appear more wise and respected if he were to just issue an explanation and not threaten to sue or to take legal action.

 

"If one wants to be a political leader, he needs to be hardy (in dealing with criticism). If not, then find another career or just stay home and pamper his wife," he said.

 

Nasrudin in his defence of embattled Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's ( right ) handling of the controversial Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex), had  questioned  why Lim was not accorded the same harsh treatment for the Penang undersea tunnel project.

 

Nasrudin had also alluded that the undersea project did not go through a proper open tender process.

 

Lim dismissed the allegation as slander and  demanded  an apology but Nasrudin  refused , prompting the suit.

 

Lim has to date won two defamation suits against Utusan Malaysia .