Penang DAP has lodged a police report against Batu Pahat parliamentarian Mohd Puad Zarkashi and three dailies, alleging criminal defamation in reports about the party's alleged involvement in "printing and distributing" the Malay-language Bible.

NONENational publicity secretary Zairil Khir Johari led party members in calling for action in relation to four reports in Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and New Straits Times on Jan 8 based on remarks by Mohd Puad, who is also Umno supreme council member, at a press conference in Putrajaya.

The report, lodged at the Jalan Pattani Northeast District police headquarters in Penang yesterday, urged that Mohd Puad and the dailies be probed under Section 499 of the Penal Code (attempting to incite racial tension).

"Mohd Puad's allegation is untrue and totally baseless. It is malicious slander meant to provoke racial and religious sentiments and to evoke hatred of Muslims towards the DAP," Zairil claimed.

He said Utusan had levelled the "wild allegation" that the DAP will not only print the "100,000 copies" of the Bible which will include the word ‘Allah', but will also distribute these free of charge in Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor and Penang.

It quoted Mohd Puad, who had cited information from a reliable source who he had refused to name, while calling on the DAP to clarify the claim.

Berita Harian also reported the allegation, as did the New Straits Times in a report headlined 'Bible move a ploy to win votes'.

Sue me, says Mohd Puad

NONEMohd Puad (right) has brushed off DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's demand for a retraction of the remarks and dared Lim to sue him.

"I will not apologise for this and I am not afraid with DAP's threat to sue me. We will see what happens after this," he was quoted as saying in an Utusan report yesterday.

Lim, in dismissing the allegation, had said the DAP is not linked to any religion and that the party views this as a private matter that should not be "exploited or politicised".