Tan said he wrote the article after Lim had boasted during the Johor state elections campaign that he had given a RM4 million allocation as finance minister to SJK (C) Kuek Ho Yao. He said Lim then went on to claim that MCA and its president Wee Ka Siong had done nothing for the school.
“My comment piece was to protect MCA and Wee’s reputation. It was in retaliation to what Lim had said. In the past, Lim had demanded MCA to explain ourselves over various issues, we are now returning the favour.
“In my comment piece, I asked Lim a question. It was just a question, which was why a name change (was necessary) in return for the (RM4 million) allocation? Are we not allowed to ask questions? This question was not due to malice. If DAP didn’t attack Wee, this would not have happened.
“I bear no grudge against Lim as he was once our chief minister and finance minister. This is a country that practices freedom of expression,” the Penang MCA chief told the court.
Tan said this in response to questions from Lim’s lawyer K Simon Murali and his lawyer Ng Kian Nam in the defamation suit brought by the DAP leader.
Tan said he was reliably informed that the school had agreed to add the name of a developer’s project to SJK (C) Kuek Ho Yao in Johor as a condition to get the RM4 million from Lim.
Lim had denied this claim in court yesterday.
The school is now known as SJK (C) Kuek Ho Yao @ Eco Spring. The school, however retains its old Mandarin spelling, despite the addition of Eco Spring on its romanised name. The court also earlier heard that the school and Kuek’s children did not have any objections on the name change.
Located at UMLand Seri Austin, Johor, it was named after philanthropist and Chinese community leader Kuek, who is tycoon Robert Kuok’s brother. MCA leaders Wee and Liow Tiong Lai were among those who attended the school’s groundbreaking ceremony in March 2018.
Lim had named Tan and The Star newspaper as defendants in the defamation suit. He said the false claim made by Tan and later published by the daily had made it look like he was devious and conniving in funding the school.
Lim’s statement of claim read that as a result of the article, four DAP candidates lost their seats in the Johor polls. He is demanding general, aggravated and exemplary damages deemed fit by the court, and an apology from Tan and The Star.
Pleading the defence of fair comment, The Star said Tan’s opinion piece was published as a letter to the editor and that it had to be used immediately as it concerned the state elections.
Lim’s lawyer Simon asked Tan whether there was any documentary proof to back the claim in his article. Tan replied in the negative.
Earlier, Simon questioned Johor Bahru city councillor Ang Boon Heng, who claimed to be on the school’s construction committee. Ang said he was informed by the committee’s chief that a deputy minister had asked for the school’s name to be changed so that it could get the allocation.
Simon suggested to Ang that there was no reliable or credible evidence to support such a claim and that a letter from Lim’s office in 2019 approving the RM4 million did not ask for anything in return.
Ang disagreed, saying he was informed by someone privy to the conversation. Simon said it remained hearsay.
The Star’s Johor bureau reporter Yee Xiang Yun, also testified today.
The trial will continue before High Court judge Quay Chew Soon tomorrow.
Kok Yuen Lin also appeared for Lim, while Tan Paik Hong, Sit Jie Hao, Tham Joe Ping, and Koay Li Xian also appeared for Tan. The Star was represented by Abdullah Abdul Rahman.