The DAP lodged a police report against Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia and a former PKR Youth leader today for implying that the suspected murderer of cosmetic tycoon Sosilawati Lawiya with three others was a party member.

Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik, who filed the report at the Jalan Patani police headquarters (for the Northeast region) at 11.30am, said the allegations from both the daily and former PKR Youth vice-chief Mohd Zahid Md Arip, were "baseless and intended to cause ill repute to the DAP".

NONE"The suspect was never a DAP member, what more a life member," Ng (right) told reporters outside the police station.He then accused certain quarters of wanting to turn the cause into a racial issue.

Ng, who is DAP Socialist Youth state secretary. said that the party wants the police to investigate the daily and Mohd Zahid, who reportedly left PKR in 2006, under section 500 of the Penal Code.

The punishment for defamation is a maximum jail term of two years, or a fine, or a combination of both (under section 500-502 of the Penal Code).

He said the party was mulling legal action against the duo for "criminal defamation with intention to destroy the party's image".

On Sept 16, Utusan Malaysia Online news portal report headlined "Berniat jahat, gangguan siasatan polis" stated that Mohd Zahid had questioned why the DAP was totally silent on the gruesome murder when the party often boasted about defending the rights of every citizen.

parliament ipcmc roundtable talk 281207 tan seng giaw"Is the act of silence related to the allegations that the main suspect was a life member of the DAP? If the allegations are true, DAP is clearly a hypocrital party which only defends a certain ethnic group," he said. Mohd Zahid is now a supreme council member in Malay rights NGO Perkasa.

Meanwhile, party deputy chairperson Dr Tan Seng Giaw (left) had reportedly told Harian Metro yesterday that the allegations that the suspect was a life member was false. Tan also denied that the suspect had frequently made financial donations to the party.

"These allegations are meant to destroy the party's image," he said, adding that DAP's member recruitment policy was very strict and has no place for criminals.