‘Not necessary’ for Chong to include my name in his FB post, says Dr Sim

KUCHING (Dec 13): Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian told the High Court here yesterday that it was “not necessary” for Democratic Action Party Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen to include his (Dr Sim) name in one of the latter’s Facebook post during the Covid-19 crisis.

He said this during cross-examination by the defendant’s counsel Chong Siew Chiang in the defamation suit filed by the deputy premier against Chong over the Covid-19 food aid fund allocation in 2020.

Siew Chiang: Upon a plain reading of the text of the second Facebook post as a whole, in its natural and ordinary meaning and in the context of the words used, the sting of the publication was directed at the discriminatory policy of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government towards the opposition assemblymen in the grant and management of the food aid allocation during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

Dr Sim: I disagree. The Facebook post as a whole has my name being mentioned several times. It is not in the public’s interest to receive false information, especially in the Covid-19 crisis.

Dr Sim: During this time, there is a lot of misinformation or fake information. It is not necessary for this Facebook post to be posted on April 18, 2020, especially naming me in multiple sentences to discredit me, especially as I am a medical professional of international standing during this medical emergency.

Dr Sim: We need, at this point of time, accurate and correct information in order to calm the public so that we can fight Covid-19 together with credibility.

Further answering and disagreeing with Siew Chiang’s suggestion, Dr Sim insisted that this was not his personal view.

“That was not just my personal view because my medical colleagues were very surprised that ‘Dr Sim’ at the time of crisis tried to score political points instead of saving lives, as all the doctors are sworn to the Hippocratic Oath.

“My party members, community leaders and the public started having doubts about me as their leader, not having their interest at heart and instead mismanaging the food aid funds and not fit to be their leader,” said Dr Sim, who is Sarawak United People’s Party president.

Siew Chiang then asked Dr Sim if his conclusion was based on what his party members, community leaders and the public had told him.

“As I said, not just on my personal view but all these other people’s view. In other words, it is the Sarawak society’s view as well as my medical professional colleagues’ views.

“It put me into embarrassment with my Cabinet colleagues, as this is not the Dr Sim of high integrity that they know about,” he insisted.

The defamation suit which is being heard before judge Dr Alwi Abdul Wahab continues today.

In 2020, Dr Sim filed the defamation suit over Chong’s allegation that he had failed to manage food aid funds worth RM800,000 meant for four opposition-held state constituencies – Padungan, BatuLintang, Pending and Kota Sentosa.

Dr Sim is represented by lawyer Shankar Ram who is assisted by Yu Ying Ying and Russell Lim, while Chong is represented by Michael Kong, Siew Chiang and Brenda Chong.