Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob remained unrepentant over his attack on the media early this week and accused Utusan Malaysia of harbouring an agenda against him.

The veteran politician said he was enraged for being allegedly misquoted by the Malay daily.

"This aroused anger in me. I was thinking what the agenda was. That was why I used the words 'go to hell' with the permission of the (state assembly) speaker. Why is it that in my eighth year as menteri besar, this is the first time I am using these words?

"Going by past record, Utusan Malaysia has something against me. From when I became menteri besar until now," he was quoted as saying by the Sun .

According to reports, Adnan told journalists Monday during the closing moments of the state assembly to 'go to hell' for having given the impression in an April 21report that he had given an ultimatum to the federal government on the issue of logging in Pahang.

Adnan claimed he was made to look like he had threatened that the state government would allow rampant logging if not given compensation.

At the press conference yesterday, Adnan said he regretted that the writer had given his own interpretation of the statement instead of reporting what was actually said.

He also said the Utusan Malaysia report had implied that his loyalty to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was under question.

Loyalty questioned

"We welcome criticism but reports like this which are not accurate and which can cause the prime minister to have a wrong perception about me, I cannot remain silent.

"I am a normal human being. If portrayed as not loyal to the prime minister that makes me angry," he said, adding that his considering legal action against the newspaper.

However, Utusan Malaysia has maintained that it did not misquote the menteri besar.

Describing Adnan's language as crude, ill-mannered, unacceptable and disgraceful, opposition party DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said yesterday that an apology was in order.

Meanwhile, National Union of Journalists president Norila Daud also criticised Adnan's outburst as "unprofessional" and an abuse of the state assembly.