The Malaysiakini news portal and its reporters have made excessive editing to the statement made at a press conference in conjunction with the World Town Planning Day celebrations, the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan said.

The minister said the article and video clip published on Malaysiakini portal and KiniTV on Nov 6, 2015, were excessively edited to the extent of causing the original message or essence of the statement misunderstood by its readers and viewers.

"When read, the article and the video clip implied that the plaintiff was a minister and politician who could not care less about the people's problems," he said in reply to the defence by Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd and reporter Geraldine Tong, as the defendants.

On Jan 13, 2016, Rahman, who is also Umno supreme council member and Kota Belud MP, filed a defamation suit against Malaysiakini and Tong over the article and video clip published on the portal.

Rahman said the article and video clip which were published without permission, did not reflect the original essence of the statement, but was edited to imply as though the plaintiff was telling city dwellers to return to the village.

Copies of the reply was distributed to the media today by Rahman's lawyer M Reza Hassan, who also told reporters that the court had fixed May 4 for case management.

In his suit, Rahman claimed that on Nov 6, 2015, the defendants had recklessly and maliciously published or made a defamatory and false statement against him titled "Minister's 'go back to the village' notion draws contempt" on www.malaysiakini.com.

He claimed that the statement, among others, implied that he had ignored the plight of people due to the rising costs of living, did not encourage people to make a living in the city, and was not sensitive to current issues affecting the general members of the public.

He also claimed that the defendants were aware and knew that the publication of the defamatory statement would affect his reputation and credibility.

Rahman is seeking an injunction to prevent the defendants from publishing, reproducing, or printing the defamatory words.

The minister is also seeking an order to compel the defendants to make and publish an apology to him in the mainstream Malay, English and Chinese newspapers.

Rahman is seeking general damages, aggravated and exemplary damages, costs, benefits and relief deemed fit by the court.

Meanwhile, Mkini and Tong in their statement of defence, denied having edited the minister's statement at the press conference, but instead claimed that they had used the whole context of the statement made by the plaintiff.

They said that the statement made by the plaintiff as a minister during the press conference was a valid subject of the news report made by the defendants with additional comments from the public.

- Bernama