Editor's note: This letter is addressed to Tan Sri Dato' Khoo Kay Peng.

I refer to the letter dated July 18, 2003 by Shearn Delamore & Co to Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd, which appeared on malaysiakini's website on July 25, 2003 ('Khoo Kay Peng is not Tan Sri Dato' Khoo') on your behalf. I view the letter with serious consequences.

Presently, I am the executive director of Socio-economic Development and Research Institute (Sedar), a non-profit policy research think-tank initiated and supported by Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia. In my capacity as the head of the think-tank, my views are often sought after by local and foreign media agencies and have been quoted in the Bangkok Post, Singapore's Straits Times, New Straits Times, The Star, Bernama, Bernama TV, CNBC, AFP, RTM and malaysiakini.

The abovementioned letter has undermined the speedy publication of my article and view on the malaysiakini website which suffered a delay of a week from its expected publication date. In a telephone call and subsequently an e-mail to me, Editor-in-chief Steven Gan said that the delay was due to the process of responding to the your letter dated July 18, 2003.

Moreover, I am also a member of the Gerakan Youth central committee, chairman of Gerakan Youth information technology bureau and a committee member of Parti Gerakan's publicity and community liaison bureau. In my capacity as a politician, my views and comments are also sought after by both the local and foreign media agencies and I have made many public statements on various political and policy issues.

Some of these statements are made in my personal capacity. Hence, I am concerned that (any) similar legal letter to editors of other publications may restrain me from expressing my views in my own personal capacity as an intellectual elite and a politician in this democratic nation, especially when the views are expressed in the currency of a certain issue.

Insofar as my views and articles to the various publications, (these) have never discussed, touched on or implied any linkage or relation to your business organisations, business interests or personal identity.

Furtherance, I do not have any business interest, relationship or hold any share in any of your MUI Group related companies. Henceforth, I would like to urge you to take the necessary legal action against any individual(s) or party(s) if there is any perceived damage to your business interest and defamation to your character and reputation due to my articles and views carried in the various publications.

In this regard, I would also like to claim my constitutional rights to freedom of expression as an intellectual elite and a politician to express my views and ideas for the betterment of the nation. Additionally, I would also like to reaffirm my rights to the use of my personal identity and my wishes of being addressed, credited or referred to as 'Khoo Kay Peng' at my own personal pleasure.

In order to ensure that my constitutional rights are protected and any malicious action is not taken in the immediate future to restrain me of exercising my rights or causing me serious grievance in doing so, I would consider the use of all relevant legal avenues to ensure that such rights are respected and accepted.

Finally, I hope this personal letter of mine does bring enough good will to build a lasting understanding of the rights to our own identities, which are obviously not one of the same.

Khoo Kay Peng
Executive Director
Sedar