Steven Sim says ready to be sued over ‘racist' claim against PAS leader after attack on Chinese army officer
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has reportedly stood firm on his accusations against Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad, whom he had called racist for a remark on Malaysian Armed Forces lieutenant-general Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng.
After the son-in-law of PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang threatened to sue, Sim said he was merely speaking out against a racist act and defended the Armed Forces.
'I will not back down from confronting this PAS leader who is being racist, discriminatory, and insulting towards our soldiers,' Sim was quoted saying by Malaysiakini.
'If I am to be sued for defending multiracial harmony and the armed forces' dignity, then I am ready! I await the legal letter from his lawyer.'
This comes after Zaharudin said he will consult his lawyer whether to take legal action against Sim, or news aggregator portal World of Buzz for allegedly 'spinning' his words.
He also insisted that he had deleted his original post not because he was afraid of any legal consequences, but because he had received hostile responses from alleged cybertroopers.
On Wednesday, Sim posted on Facebook that Lim's long-standing service should be recognised, not questioned, and described the attack by Zaharudin as 'racist, seditious, and treasonous'.
Sim said Zaharudin's remark also appeared to undermine the Armed Forces and the trust of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who is the Supreme Commander.
Lim's promotion had marked a historic milestone, as he became the first ethnic Chinese officer to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the armed forces.
In response, Zaharudin had speculated that Malaysia's 50th prime minister in 2058 could be a Chinese individual, framing the scenario as a possible outcome of Lim's promotion.
The post, which also compared the Malaysia's immigration policies to the Zionist settlement of Palestine, was then deleted.
Islamist party PAS has since said it does not support the social media post by one of its leaders on the promotion, saying it was the personal opinion of the individual involved and 'entirely contrary' to PAS' policies and values.
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