High Court dismisses Hannah Yeoh’s defamation suit against ex-IGP Musa Hassan over UiTM forum remarks, cites free speech Posted on 23/12/2024 KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — The High Court here today dismissed a defamation suit filed by Segambut Member of Parliament Hannah Yeoh against former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan over remarks he made during a forum at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) four years ago. Judicial Commissioner (JC) Arziah Mohamed Apandi ruled after finding that the plaintiff had failed to establish that the defendant’s (Musa) statements were defamatory. “I find that in this case, the occasion (where the forum was held) to be privileged, no malice was proven and that defendant had reasonable grounds for his statements based on the plaintiff’s admissions and writings (in her book ‘Becoming Hannah’) and the publication (of defendant’s statements) was beyond his control,” she said. JC Arziah further said that the constitutional right to freedom of expression must be robustly protected, especially in matters of public interest and statements made during privileged occasions. “While responsible speech is important, public figures must expect and tolerate robust criticism and debate regarding their public statements and actions. For these reasons, the plaintiff’s claim is dismissed, with costs of RM40,000,” she said when delivering today’s decision via email. — Bernama MORE TO COME News
BM is a ‘living language’, but let’s not force it into absurdity Posted on 13/11/2024 From Said Bani Che Mat Din When Malaysia’s education minister recently declared that the public needs to accept new Malay words because Bahasa Malaysia is a “living language”, one cannot help but wonder if this statement was made with due consideration for linguistic reality. While no one denies that languages… Read More
Southeast Asia prepares for factories fleeing Trump tariffs on China Posted on 08/11/2024 Industry experts have predicted that Malaysia, aiming for US$100 billion in semiconductor investments, could benefit from supply chain realignment. BANGKOK: Companies have been moving factories from China to Southeast Asia, anticipating Donald Trump would slap high tariffs on Beijing if he regained the White House, a move set to accelerate… Read More
Bagnaia wins Barcelona MotoGP sprint to take season to final race Posted on 17/11/2024 Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia has already won 10 of 19 Grands Prix this season. (EPA Images pic) BARCELONA: Francesco Bagnaia produced a commanding performance to win today’s sprint at the Barcelona MotoGP, ensuring that the battle for the world championship title would go to the last race of the season…. Read More