The DAP has sent letters of demand to Utusan Malaysia , giving the Umno-owned daily 48 hours to prove the allegations it has carried against the party or face a defamation suit.

NONE Party leader and lawyer Gobind Singh Deo (left) told reporters today that the letters were sent to the publisher Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd, editor Zukifli Jalil and journalist Kasthuri Jeevendran.

Utusan had published claims from a booklet entitled ‘The Equity Report (CEC election fraud)’, purportedly written by Father Augustus Chen, whose existence the DAP has questioned.

“We give Utusan an opportunity (to show) where they got this information (and to) prove it. And if they can’t prove it, they must face the consequences in court,” said Gobind, who is the Puchong MP.

“If you want to republish information, you have to verify that information. We ask Utusan who is Father Augustus Chen? Have they met him? Have they verified his claims?

“We have always said that the decision by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to ask us to hold central executive committee (CEC) election is unlawful, and it has come about as a result of expurgating circumstances such as this book,” Gobind said.

He is referring to articles published by the Umno-owned daily on Aug 17 and 18 pertaining to the booklet’s content.

DAP rules out suing ROS

Meanwhile, although the party maintains that the ROS order to hold new CEC elections is illegal, it has ruled out suing the registrar of fear of de-regulation.

dap national congress 151212 new cec “Unless an assurance is given by the prime minister or the ROS that we will not be de-registered in the process (of suing), then we have no choice but to rule out suing the ROS”.

Last Thursday, the DAP announced that they would comply with the ROS' demands to hold a re-election.

However, they insisted the move was not a validation of the allegations against the party but was to avoid de-registration .

When asked if there was any grounds for the ROS to de-register the party for pursing legal actions against them, Gobind said there were not, but DAP could not rule out the possibility.

“There was no law to ask us to re-elect (the CEC), so while they have no law to de-register us, who can guarantee they won’t?

“DAP is not going to sit back and take it lightly, if the ROS thinks that victory is theirs because we have decided to carry on with the re-election, let me remind the ROS that we will find the truth”.