GEORGE TOWN: A book detailing Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’s development over the last 40 years was launched here after a Gerakan member failed to obtain an interim injunction from a Kuala Lumpur High Court to stop the launching.
The book, titled Non-Sectarian Politics in Malaysia: The Case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, was launched at 4.15pm yesterday at the E & O Hotel here after Chia Loong Thye failed to get the injunction earlier in the day.
Chia, a law firm partner and the Penang Gerakan legal aid bureau chief who stood as a Barisan Nasional candidate in the Tanjung Bungah state seat here in the March 8 general election, had alleged that the book defamed him in his application for the injunction.
Story of a party: Khor (left) and Khoo taking a look at their book ‘Non-Sectarian Politics in Malaysia: The Case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’ in Penang Thursday.
He also failed to get an order to prevent the book's authors, Neil Khor Jin Keong and Khoo Kay Peng, publisher Trafalgar Publishing House Sdn Bhd and printer Setiakawan Printers Sdn Bhd from further publishing and selling the book.
In dismissing the application, High Court Justice Abdul Wahab Patail said: “Although the plaintiff is a senior lawyer and a qualified mediator, his own voluntary involvement in politics preclude him from relying on this qualification from stopping the book's launch.”
The judge ruled that the merits of the suit were not before him and that the decision on the application was based on pleading (a formal statement) and submissions by the parties.
Justice Abdul Wahab also dismissed an application for an Erinford injunction (an injunction pending disposal of an appeal against the court decision) by Chia's lawyer Bahari Yeow Tien Hong.
In an affidavit-in-support of his application dated July 29, Chia said the book purports to be an account of the history, development and present status of Gerakan.
Chia said that a particular page was highly defamatory of him. He said the offending words in the book portrayed him as a person who lacked integrity. The words, he said, also implied that he had betrayed the party and could not be trusted with the leadership of Gerakan.
Met after the book launch, Khoo said the book had never been about an individual person.
“It tells the story of Gerakan over the last 40 years.
“I definitely don’t buy the accusations brought against us because if I want to write something to defame someone, I would write the entire book about him.
“It cannot be a defamatory book if only one sentence out of 186 pages speaks about him. That's a very poor attempt at defaming someone.”
The book, titled Non-Sectarian Politics in Malaysia: The Case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, was launched at 4.15pm yesterday at the E & O Hotel here after Chia Loong Thye failed to get the injunction earlier in the day.
Chia, a law firm partner and the Penang Gerakan legal aid bureau chief who stood as a Barisan Nasional candidate in the Tanjung Bungah state seat here in the March 8 general election, had alleged that the book defamed him in his application for the injunction.
Story of a party: Khor (left) and Khoo taking a look at their book ‘Non-Sectarian Politics in Malaysia: The Case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’ in Penang Thursday.He also failed to get an order to prevent the book's authors, Neil Khor Jin Keong and Khoo Kay Peng, publisher Trafalgar Publishing House Sdn Bhd and printer Setiakawan Printers Sdn Bhd from further publishing and selling the book.
In dismissing the application, High Court Justice Abdul Wahab Patail said: “Although the plaintiff is a senior lawyer and a qualified mediator, his own voluntary involvement in politics preclude him from relying on this qualification from stopping the book's launch.”
The judge ruled that the merits of the suit were not before him and that the decision on the application was based on pleading (a formal statement) and submissions by the parties.
Justice Abdul Wahab also dismissed an application for an Erinford injunction (an injunction pending disposal of an appeal against the court decision) by Chia's lawyer Bahari Yeow Tien Hong.
In an affidavit-in-support of his application dated July 29, Chia said the book purports to be an account of the history, development and present status of Gerakan.
Chia said that a particular page was highly defamatory of him. He said the offending words in the book portrayed him as a person who lacked integrity. The words, he said, also implied that he had betrayed the party and could not be trusted with the leadership of Gerakan.
Met after the book launch, Khoo said the book had never been about an individual person.
“It tells the story of Gerakan over the last 40 years.
“I definitely don’t buy the accusations brought against us because if I want to write something to defame someone, I would write the entire book about him.
“It cannot be a defamatory book if only one sentence out of 186 pages speaks about him. That's a very poor attempt at defaming someone.”
