The High Court here has ordered Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen to pay a total of RM500,000 in damages and costs to Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian over defamatory statements linked to the allocation of Covid-19 food aid funds in 2020.
Delivering his decision via a Zoom proceeding, Judge Datuk Dr Alwi Abdul Wahab ruled that Dr Sim had successfully proven his case, while Chong failed to establish his defence. The court also dismissed Chong’s counterclaim, finding that Dr Sim’s remarks — including a statement suggesting Chong was “carrying bags of rice merely for show” — were not defamatory.
The judge held that the articles containing Dr Sim’s statements did not carry any words capable of bearing a defamatory meaning.
As a result, the court awarded Dr Sim RM350,000 in general and aggravated damages for defamation, RM50,000 in general damages for malicious falsehood, and RM100,000 in costs.
Dr Sim, who is the Batu Kawah assemblyman and president of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), filed the suit in 2020 against Chong, the Stampin MP and Padungan assemblyman. The case stemmed from allegations that Dr Sim had failed to properly manage RM800,000 in food aid meant for four opposition-held state constituencies — Padungan, Batu Lintang, Pending and Kota Sentosa.
Dr Sim had maintained that all state government food aid funds were channelled through divisional disaster management committees and not to the service centres of state assemblymen. He also alleged that Sarawak DAP leaders, including Chong, had repeatedly made false claims via social media and the press to damage his reputation and accuse him of abusing his position.
Dr Sim was represented by Datuk Shankar Ram Asnani, Sidharth Shankar Asnani and Shemira Adzhar, while Chong was represented by Michael Kong, Chong Siew Chiang, Brenda Chong and Sharon Lo.
