KUALA LUMPUR: The action by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in filing a defamation suit against the Malaysiakini news portal and its top two editors is a move towards ensuring the fundamental rights of the Umno president, said Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim.
Rais, who is the advisor to the government on social and cultural affairs, said as a person with dignity, the prime minister would want to clear his name, having been embarassed and ridiculed.
The best venue for him to do so is the court, Rais said in a statement here yesterday.
Rais, in commenting on a statement by Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong calling for Najib and Umno to withdraw the suit, said it clearly reflected the council’s involvement in politics, without any care for a person’s right to seek justice in court. — Bernama