FINANCE Minister Lim Guan Eng, fresh from winning a defamation suit against Umno-controlled daily Utusan Malaysia, said he will sue parties that continue to slander him.

Slander that played up racial and religious sentiments, like those accusing him of meddling with Islamic affairs, cannot continue, he said.

“Until today, there are still racial and religious sentiments being played up against me in some newspapers and on social media.

“Perhaps I am a soft target as a non-Muslim. If it continues, I will consider suing them, like how I have taken Utusan to court,” he told reporters at the Penang High Court complex earlier today.

When Lim was Penang chief minister in 2015, he sued Utusan for defamation over an article on April 10 that year alleging he had control over Muslim wakaf land and any proposal to develop such land must be with his consent.

This morning, Utusan’s senior news editor Zulkilfi Jalil, who was named a defendant in the suit apart from the publication, read out a public apology to Lim in a consent judgment over the defamatory article.

“At all times, wakaf land is under the management of the state Islamic council,” Lim said.

“It was a wild and malicious accusation meant to play up hatred and racial sentiments against me.

“I am happy to clear my name from Utusan’s slander today. Now, it is proven in court that it was a false allegation.”

Lim said it was the Malay newspaper that opted for a settlement while he and his legal team were ready to go to trial with the suit.

The court will now decide on the quantum of damages and costs against Utusan.

The daily, whose publisher Utusan Melayu has been rated PN17 after defaulting on bank payments, is currently in financial dire straits.

The company has failed to pay salaries on time in August and September for non-executive staff and now trying to downsize 50% of its staff. – September 27, 2018.