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Thursday, January 22, 2015

I didn’t get my facts wrong on Ibrahim Ali, reporter tells libel hearing

Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali is suing theSun and two of its former editors over an article punlished by the English daily in 2010. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 22, 2015.Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali is suing theSun and two of its former editors over an article punlished by the English daily in 2010. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 22, 2015.A reporter with the Mingguan mStar newspaper testified today that Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali had told her in an interview that during his audience with the Sultan of Selangor, the ruler had discussed at length allegations about the Malay rights group's image as a chauvinist outfit.
Taking the witness stand in the defamation suit by Ibrahim against theSun Media Corp and its two former editors Chong Cheng Hai and Terence Fernandez, the Mingguan mStar reporter Nurul Ain Mohd Hussain refuted Ibrahim’s testimony on Wednesday that she had got her facts wrong about the interview.
Nurul Ain told the Shah Alam High Court that she only made minor changes in her article published on March 28, 2010 and was not “getting her facts wrong” as alleged by Ibrahim.
When asked by defence counsel Himahlini Ramalingam how she went about interviewing Ibrahim and the procedure following the interview, Nurul Ain said: “My editor asked me to look into it after theSun’s article came out.
“I made an appointment (with Ibrahim), brought my tape recorder and (went with) my photographer.
“I wrote his answers word by word and it was truthful and accurate. I did not edit anything further, other than taking out dialects and suffixes.
“The interview was held three years ago and I could not find a copy of the original transcription since after writing it, I never thought about it until yesterday afternoon when I was asked to become a witness,” Nurul Ain said.
She told the court that she has lost the recording and the original transcription.
Yesterday, Ibrahim had told the court that Nurul Ain had misreported him, claiming that she made a mistake and that the Sultan of Selangor had never brought up theSun’s accusations against him.
“So many reporters called me for interviews… I can’t recall everything. Sometimes during exclusives you speak a lot, you say a lot of things but when it’s published, the reporters will shorten the sentences, they might take it out of context or spin it,” he had said.
“When the reporter brought up that question, it was like the reporter put words into my mouth. I was answering her question but it ended up looking as if the Sultan brought up the topic (about him and Perkasa’s alleged chauvinism) and I discussed the issue with the Sultan,” Ibrahim had said.
Yesterday, he had also said that the interview with The Star was quite lengthy and detailed. However, Nurul Ain said today that the interview only lasted around 30 minutes.
Earlier, the Sultan’s private secretary Datuk Munir Bani also took to the stand and acknowledged that the Sultan had instructed him to prepare the press statement explaining the ruler’s decision not to attend Perkasa’s first AGM.
“All the letters and press statements released by my office were under the instructions of the Sultan and with the blessings of the Sultan. Before I release anything, the Sultan will view it first before giving his approval,” he explained.
Fernandez, who is now the editor of special reports and investigations at The Edge Media Group, also took to the witness stand.
Questioned by the plaintiff’s lawyer Harmy Yusoff regarding his sources, Fernandez maintained that they were accurate and said they were confidential.
Ibrahim is represented by Harmy Yusoff, while appearing for the defendants are Datuk Nitin Nadkarni, Himahlini Ramalingam and G.Meerasree.
The presiding judge is Justice Gunalan Muniandy. Submissions will be heard on February 27. – The Edge Financial Daily

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