A former Cabinet minister has been awarded RM45,000 in damages after winning a defamation suit against a Chinese-language newspaper over an article that suggested he breached Movement Control Order (MCO) rules by travelling overseas.
According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), judicial commissioner Asmah Musa granted RM35,000 in general damages and RM10,000 in aggravated damages to former plantation industries and commodities minister Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali. The court also awarded RM5,000 in costs and interest at five per cent per annum until full settlement.
The lawsuit stemmed from a Sin Chew Daily report published on Sept 1, 2020, which linked a photograph taken during Khairuddin’s 2016 visit to the Netherlands to his 2020 trip to Turkey, creating the impression that he had violated MCO restrictions. The same image was also circulated widely on the newspaper’s Facebook page.
In her written judgment, Asmah acknowledged that journalism is protected under qualified privilege, but stressed that media organisations have a duty to verify facts, present balanced reporting and exercise caution when using images.
She ruled that Sin Chew had fallen short of professional standards by failing to confirm the accuracy and origin of the photograph, and by not seeking Khairuddin’s response prior to publication.
“Freedom of expression is protected by law, but it cannot come at the expense of factual accuracy and fairness,” Asmah said.
