TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke has told Dewan Negara president Vigneswaran Sanasee to go ahead and sue for slander, over the minister’s exposure of an incident at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week.

Loke said he was acting in defence of the airport staff involved in the incident with Vigneswaran.

“It is his right if he wants to take legal action. Bring it on. I was standing up for my airport staff

“I am carrying out my duty as minister,” Loke said in a press conference today. 

Loke on Saturday informed the media of a “security breach” at the airport on November 14 attempted by Vigneswaran, who was there to send off his daughter.

The press were shown a CCTV recording of Vigneswaran, in sandals, trying to enter the VIP lobby over the protests of an airport officer, purportedly over a dress code violation.

Vigneswaran, who is the MIC president, has denied the officer tried to stop him because of dress code.

Loke slammed Vigneswaran for not understanding the issue, which he said was a matter of security and not dress code. 

“They have misunderstood the issue; it’s not about slippers or sandals. We are talking about entering a restricted area without authorisation,” he said.

Loke said he had no intention of dragging Vigneswaran’s family into the matter, but was highlighting the mistreatment of the officer. 

Earlier today, Vigneswaran he will begin legal proceedings against the DAP minister for publicising and showing the press CCTV footage of the incident, which had humiliated him and his family and subjected him to public ridicule and “trial by media”. – November 19, 2018.