A consumers rights activist today filed a RM10 million defamation suit at the Shah Alam High Court against a local municipal council and its president.

Dr Jacob George, the Consumers Association of Subang protem legal adviser, claimed in his writ that the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and its president Ahmad Fuad Ismail had defamed him in two separate newspaper reports.

In an e-mail letter to the Malay Mail on Jan 19, George had criticised the council for "extravagant spending".

He alleged that the council among others "spent RM90,000 on a television show, issued permits to building projects that caused cracks to appear in a residential area and a school, purchased a guest house for RM208, 000 in Cameron Highlands, bought 23 lap-top computers for councillors and had wasted public funds on projects".

The same newspaper on Feb 1 quoted Fuad as saying he wanted the MPSJ board to "to decide whether to take action or to ignore the allegations by George which had tarnished the council's image".

Fuad also accused George of making malicious statements that would result in the public losing their confidence in the MPSJ, tarnish the council's image as well as the integrity of its councillors.

Fuad had refuted George's allegations on Feb 2 in the New Straits Times and also stated that a court injunction would be filed against George to stop him from making any further statements.

Transparency

George told reporters after filing the suit today that he had demanded for RM10 million in damages because of his "untarnished reputation of 27 years as a consumer rights advocate".

"Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting and his deputy M Kayveas have been calling for transparency but our own civil servants are going against this policy," he said.

George, previously with the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca), also demanded that Fuad make a public apology to him in the Malay Mail and the New Straits Times.