Although Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud withdrew his libel suit against Malaysiakini yesterday, the Sarawak Report claims damage to the veteran politician had already been done.

The first law of a libel case, Sarawak Report states, is that it draws attention to the complainant.

It added that having been caught out, Taib was determined to crush Malaysiakini, which had brought the fact to world’s attention - that the state has “the world’s oldest rainforest” and that it is dwindling.

Sarawak Report, a news portal highly crirtical of Taib, also said the chief minister went ahead with the suit as BN was not used to a media that did not report exactly what the ruling coalition wanted.

“They had long since established a corrupted monopoly over the press and broadcasters in Malaysia and they thought that was the end of the matter.

“NONEThe reach of the Internet, which has helped topple nasty regimes this past year in the Middle East, has yet to register with old-fashioned chaps like Taib,” said the portal founded by Clare Rewcastle-Brown (right), sister-in-law of former UK prime minister Gordon Brown.

“By the time he realised his error, the story had ballooned and all because of his own court action.

“Even so, for a long while the chief minister had clearly hoped he could get away with the issue because of his sheer wealth and power,” it added.

Sarawak Report further stated that since BN had established control over the courts and the judiciary, Taib was hopeful he could rig a result that could drive an outfit like Malaysiakini out of business.  

It said the world could see Malaysiakini’s professionalism and its accurate online reporting based on concrete information provided by the tax authorities in Japan.

Malaysiakini did not have to pay a cent

With the trial scheduled to begin at the onset of the federal election, Sarawak Report said it was clear that Taib had to settle, whatever it took.

“His reputation cannot stand such an assault, and neither can BN.

“The out-of-court settlement has been a humiliation for Taib. Malaysiakini didn’t have to pay him a cent. What a huge mistake, all caused by anger,” it said.

Sarawak Report, which has run a series of reports on the Taib family wealth, said it was rather funny how some people were prepared to do all sorts of sinful things and yet get terribly upset when others mentioned them.   

“It is plain to the whole world that Taib thought about facing such questions in an open court and decided, very sensibly, that he would rather not.

“Who could avoid noting, however, that any honest, religious and decent man, caught up in such accusations of graft, would have welcomed the opportunity to put the record straight?

“Yet in Taib’s case, even the most wild and optimistic bomoh would have been mad to suggest that he take the stand in a trial about kickbacks.

NONE"Libel is about defending a reputation and Taib doesn’t have one anymore - his record speaks for itself,” the portal hit out.

So, Malaysiakini, it continued, has got off having to face one of the most richest and powerful men in Malaysia, in a rigged trial.

“Taib (left) had been trying to get a settlement for months, but they had bravely refused to buckle.

"This, despite the rigged court, the fact their reporter of the story had since died and the decision by the Japanese tax authorities to drop their own prosecution on the kickbacks.

“Malaysiakini had refused his original offer to drop the case if they paid towards Taib’s massive legal expenses. They also refused his revised offer to pull out if they just paid a teeny wincy few thousand ringgit, so that he could say they had to pay damages,” said the portal.

“So as Taib came back asking Malaysiakini for an apology in return for dropping the case. Well, why not?

“An apology, especially a qualified apology, based on a change in the approach by the Japanese prosecutors, has cost them nothing! Taib has lost his revenge... and his reputation as well.”