GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has pursued legal action against Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) life honorary president Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping for his statements which humiliated and degraded the chief minister.
Chow said, given that there was no attempt by Tan to apologise or to retract the slanderous statement made, he was compelled to pursue legal action against Tan.
"My solicitors have extracted the sealed copy of the Writ and Statement of Claim yesterday evening, and the same shall be served on Tan for his defamatory remarks made during a press conference organised by the PCCC on Oct 18, last year.
"The Penang High Court has fixed the matter for its first case management via e-Review on Jan 24, this year," he said today.
Elaborating, Chow said, using his capacity as the PCCC's life honorary president, Tan had convened the press conference in respect of a Joint Development Agreement dated Sept 27, last year, for a proposed development project between Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and Umech Land Sdn Bhd.
"Even though the termination of the agreement was already announced by PDC to the media and the public on Oct 16, last year, Tan deliberately made slanderous statement in Mandarin during the press conference calculated to attack my character, credibility, competency and capability as the chief minister and as the PDC chairman.
"The slanderous statement was eventually printed and published in, among others, several prominent Chinese language newspapers.
"Given that there was no attempt by Tan to apologise or to retract the slanderous statement made, I am compelled to pursue legal action against him," he added.
Last October, the Penang state executive council unanimously decided that Chow should initiate legal proceedings against Tan for his statements which humiliated and degraded the chief minister.
Tan had reportedly accused Chow of being "incompetent" for evading questions about the controversial sale of land owned by the PDC in Byram to UMECH Land Sdn Bhd.
At the height of the controversial land sale issue, Chow had come under fire after the PCCC raised questions on the awarding of the project through direct negotiations and why local companies were not given the opportunity in the project.
There were also questions raised that the land could have been transferred to a developer.