Making the announcement at the PAS Youth Muktamar today, the party’s deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the legal costs for the suit would amount to almost RM200,000.
“But for the party’s honour and the party’s good name, we will proceed,” he said, adding that the party could not stand idly by and let its reputation be tarnished.
“Even though we aren’t rich, we will make sacrifices to defend our honour.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that PAS had prepared as many as 10 witnesses in the United Kingdom for its case.
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said then that PAS was also gathering witnesses in Malaysia.
On Aug 6 last year, Sarawak Report alleged that RM90 million was “reckoned” to have entered the accounts of top PAS leaders. It said this was one of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s attempts to “woo” the PAS leadership into supporting Barisan Nasional and Umno.
On Dec 16, Takiyuddin said PAS’ lawyers in the UK had sent a letter of demand to Sarawak Report on Dec 13.
He said the letter contained three demands: that Sarawak Report retract the article, issue an apology according to terms agreed by the party, and give an undertaking not to publish false accusations in future.
The seven-day ultimatum expired on Dec 20, but as of Apr 8 this year, Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown said PAS lawyers in the UK had yet to file any suit against her or the news portal.
There has been speculation that PAS will join or cooperate with Umno-led BN, especially in the wake of Umno’s apparent willingness to cooperate with PAS over its president Abdul Hadi Awang’s proposed shariah amendments bill in the Dewan Rakyat.
Umno and PAS, the two main parties for Malays in the country, also shared the same stage on issues involving Muslims, such as the oppression of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya.
But Hadi said PAS would not join either BN or the opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan, due to conflicting principles and ideals, indicating it would forge ahead alone.