MIRI – The Gabungan Parti Sarawak government lost a suit it initiated last year against opposition leader and Parti Bersatu Sarawak president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh.
The Kuching High Court today ruled in favour of Wong, as judicial commissioner Christopher Chin said the defamation suit had no merit.
The court also ordered RM30,000 in costs to be paid to Wong.
Wong in May last year questioned the manner in which the state government had reached a RM2 billion sales tax settlement agreement with national oil company Petronas over the sales of petroleum from Sarawak.
He had said that Sarawak should have been paid more than RM2 billion and that the state government had failed to fight for the best interests of the state in the petroleum revenue.
The state government had subsequently filed the suit, accusing Wong of defaming the state government and claiming damages.
Today, Chin ruled that the state government was wrong to initiate the defamation suit against Wong as he had the right as an elected representative and opposition lawmaker to question matters of public interest.
He said he had asked both parties to settle the matter in the political arena and not in the courtroom.
The dispute is clearly one of politics, not defamation, he ruled.
Wong, who is the Bawang Assan incumbent, was represented by lawyers George Lo, Jonathan Tang, Clement Wong, Thien Siaw Lian, and Yvonne Sia.
The state government was represented by legal counsel J.C. Fong and lawyers Adzul Adzlan, Oliver Chua, and Anisa Fadhillah. – The Vibes, December 10, 2021
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