THE Pahang government has issued a letter of demand, seeking an apology and RM1 million in damages from activist Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil for allegedly making slanderous statements on logging activities in the state. 

The state government said the environmental activist had made defamatory statements on her Facebook on December 29 and 30 last year and during a Sinar Harian interview on January 12. 

The demand letter was issued on behalf of the state government by law firm Messrs Hidayah Ishak & Partners. 

The demand letter, sighted by The Malaysian Insight, states that Shariffa’s statements implied, among others, that the state government was irresponsible for allowing logging in the Karak mountain areas without making an environmental impact assessment.

Her statements also implied that the state conspired with the Forestry Department to issue a fraudulent statement alleging that there were no logging activities at the Lentang forest reserve and that the state government was carrying out logging at the Lentang forest reserve without any guilt, resulting in a disaster. 

It further states that her statements also implied that the state was involved and was the cause of illegal logging and exploration activities in the state’s forest and practising corruption by allowing widespread logging by companies in the state. 

It also states that Shariffa’s statements had subjected the state government to public criticism and damaged its reputation. 

“(Because of) your irresponsible attitude, which is shown via the three statements, our client has received various negative reactions from the community and tarnished the good name of our client,” the letter read. 

Shariffa is told to issue an unconditional apology to the state government for sharing the statements on all her social media platforms, which are accessible to many. 

Should she fail to refuse to comply with the notice within 14 days of receiving the letter, the state government would file a claim with the courts without referring to her as well as seek other damages, the demand letter read.

It is a scare tactic

When contacted, Shariffa said this was a scare tactic by the state government to stop vocal activists from telling the truth. 

She described the state government’s move as “ridiculous”. 

“The move by the Pahang government to send me those demands is ridiculous,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

“I’m an environmentalist and activist and have an NGO (non-governmental organisation). I speak on behalf of the rakyat. It has nothing to do with politics. It is about our environment. We have to prioritise our environment.” 

She said she is not intimidated by the state government’s tactic and has referred the matter to her lawyers. 

“This is uncalled for. This is a scare tactic for us not to say anything. My lawyers will look into it and they will advise me. 

“What we can say is that in Malaysia, when it comes to the environment, it is always last on the list.

“We can see the reason for the flood, which saw many people die. It has never happened before. So in such a situation, should we keep quiet? 

“We all know that one of the reasons for climate change is deforestation,” said the president of environmental group Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia.

Shariffa is also a successful businesswoman, running her holiday resorts and chalets. – February 10 2022.