The High Court in Kuala Lumpur has fixed March 18 for further case management of a defamation suit filed by social activist Marina Mahathir against 16 members of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma).

Justice Rosilah Yop may also order the defendants to enter their statement of defence. The trial dates may be fixed when the parties next meet.

Marina, 57, had filed the suit last month against Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman (right) and 15 members.

This is in relation to the distribution of 70,000 copies of a leaflet last November saying she is the mastermind behind the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the UPR Process (Comango).

The leaflet, titled ‘Dalang di sebalik Comango’ included a photograph of Marina as a board member of Sisters in Islam.

She claimed that the leaflet was published with malice and that the content is false and defamatory.

The leaflets, which named other leaders as well, were widely distributed in mosques in the Klang Valley, Seremban, Malacca, Samarahan (Sarawak), Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu>

Marina, the eldest of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's children, had sought a retraction from Isma on the claim made in the leaflets and its failure to do so resulted in the legal action.

A former Malaysian AIDS Council president, member of the International Advisory Group of Musawah and a columnist in an English daily, Marina said the leaflets meant she was directly involved in the Comango process, has a dubious character and is the mastermind, and anti Islam.

It also meant that she did not respect the Federal Constitution, that by being on the board of directors in SIS she is directly involved in Comango, that she does not have integrity, possesses low morality, has no stronghold on religion and is irresponsible.

Marina in her statement of claim also said the leaflets had tarnished her reputation, lowered her esteem in society and made her subject to ridicule and scorn.

No involvement in Comango report

Despite being involved in SIS, she said, she had no role in the Comango report.

In claiming malice, she said Isma knew that she was only one of the directors of SIS but continued to make the false statement on her alone and not on the whole SIS board of directors.

“This constitutes a personal attack on me in labelling me as one of the masterminds in the Comango report,” she said in her statement of claim.

“I even issued a press release on Nov 11, and again on Nov 13 that the allegations made by Isma in its leaflets are false,” she said.

However, Marina said, Isma continued to repeat the allegations on her and make personal attacks on her the same day and also on Nov 14.

To make matters worse, she said, 10,000 copies of the false publication were distributed in Johor Bahru and on Nov 17, Isma allowed people to download the leaflet from its website.

As a result of this, Marina is seeking general, exemplary and aggravated damages and an injunction against the defendants from further spreading the malicious article.

She is also seeking a full retraction of the article and an apology.