Trial set for activist's defamation suit against ex-defence ministry official
Road safety activist Shahrim Tamrin filed the suit against Razman Hakimi Abdullah over several statements made on Facebook and Twitter in 2020. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA : A defamation lawsuit filed by road safety activist Shahrim Tamrin against a former head of corporate communications at the defence ministry will go to trial this October.
In a statement, Shahrim said the sessions court in Ampang has fixed Oct 14 and 15 for trial.
In November last year, it was reported that Shahrim filed the suit against Razman Hakimi Abdullah over several statements made on Facebook and Twitter (now known as X) in 2020, which he deemed 'outrageous, baseless, dreadful and totally unacceptable'.
According to the statement of claim, Razman is said to have alleged that Shahrim was a Pakatan Harapan (PH) 'lackey', 'spy' and political appointee of the previous PH government.
Razman is alleged to have made the remarks in several Facebook posts on March 10 and July 16, 2020.
This was in reference to Shahrim's appointment as a board member of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros). He was a member of the Miros board from January 2019 to January 2022.
The statement of claim said Razman had also claimed that Shahrim was the son of former Batu Berendam MP Tamrin Ghafar in another Twitter post on Aug 29, 2020.
Shahrim is seeking general, special and exemplary damages from the defendant as well as an injunction barring him from repeating the impugned statements on any platform.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Madani economic reforms earn 50% score from Khairy
The number of people who pay taxes in Malaysia is disproportionately smaller than our peers, said Khairy Jamaluddin. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin has given the Madani government a 50% score for its performance on structural economic reforms since its formation in November 2022. Khairy pointed to three key areas that he believed demanded changes – widening the tax base, rationalising subsidies and pension reforms. He said the unity government has yet to carry out meaningful tax reforms to widen its revenue base, which he added was significantly lower even compared with peers in terms of gross domestic product. 'The number of people that pay taxes in Malaysia is disproportionately smaller than our peers, and that creates a problem for the government because your revenue base is too small. That's why we introduced the GST (goods and services tax),' he said, referring to the tax scheme introduced by the Najib Razak government in 2015. He pointed out that the planned expansion of the sales and service tax has been repeatedly delayed, while maintaining that a consumption tax like the GST was the way to go. (Government figures show that GST raised RM43.8 billion in 2018, while SST for 2024 is estimated at 44.7 billion) On subsidy rationalisation, Khairy said the biggest hurdle was targeting the RON95 petrol subsidies, which cost Putrajaya RM20 billion in 2023. The former Rembau MP said the last major reform needed was pension reforms, which is expected to balloon to around RM30 billion in the next decade. 'And it's going to rise because of the number of civil servants retiring, and life expectancy has also gone up,' he said, adding that the solution was getting rid of pensions for new government hires and shifting to EPF contributions. 'So if out of three big structural reforms, it's one and a half. So it's 50%,' he said in an episode of the Game of Impossible podcast with former minister Idris Jala and his son, Leon. The government is set to implement targeted subsidies for RON95 in the second half of the year, though details have not been released yet. Putrajaya has also announced that new civil servants would no longer get pensions but would contribute to EPF and the Social Security Organisation. Khairy reiterated that these reforms were important to ensure the country had enough funds for public services like health, education, and transport. 'You don't have enough money to make all the changes you want,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Parties don't have final say over Johor village heads, says exco
State exco Zahari Sarip said Rengit assemblyman Puad Zarkashi's claim that community leaders were appointed based on the preferences of party division heads was inaccurate. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The selection of village heads in Johor undergoes a rigorous multi-level screening process and is not based solely on recommendations from political leaders or division chiefs, said a state executive councillor. Zahari Sarip, who handles rural development matters, described as inaccurate a claim by Rengit assemblyman Puad Zarkashi that community leaders were appointed based on the preferences of party division heads. The selection of village heads is overseen by the district office and involves screening by various agencies, including the police, with input from the local community, said Zahari. 'The selection committee is chaired by the district officer, with related departments conducting interviews with the candidates,' Zahari told FMT. 'Candidates who score highly are referred to the state, but we still vet them further, including checking their community involvement. The notion that political parties make the final decision is simply not accurate.' He was responding to Puad's call for the Johor government to overhaul the village head appointment system. Puad's call followed the Johor state assembly speaker's suggestion that appointments be made based on performance, not political connections. The speaker also proposed forming a special committee to ensure only those who are truly committed are appointed to represent local communities. Zahari, who is Segamat assemblyman, said that not all appointees are from Barisan Nasional. 'I can't disclose specific areas, but it's not true that we only appoint from BN. There are village heads from other parties as well,' he said. 'That said, we take all complaints seriously and are considering expanding the selection committee to better reflect voices from various levels of society.' Committed despite low allowances Asked about the low allowances received by village heads, Zahari acknowledged that the compensation does not reflect the weight of their responsibilities. 'That's why we've consistently raised this with the federal government, urging them to increase the monthly allowance from RM1,200 to at least RM1,500,' he said. 'I've also reminded village heads not to use the low allowance as an excuse not to carry out their duties. If they're unwilling, they can resign – but thankfully, most continue to perform well.' He added that starting this year, the state government has also begun making Socso contributions for all 677 village heads to ensure they are protected while serving their communities.
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
No injuries reported in underground gas blast at Bukit Minyak Industrial Area
The site of the underground gas explosion on Lengkok Perindustrian Bukit Minyak 2. (Penang fire and rescue department pic) PETALING JAYA : An underground gas explosion occurred near a sewer line at the Bukit Minyak Industrial Area in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, today. Penang fire and rescue department said an emergency call was received at about 2.45pm. The department said it was a single explosion and that the team was monitoring the air quality at the site at Lengkok Perindustrian Bukit Minyak 2. 'Initial reports confirmed that no victims were involved,' it said in a statement. The operation involved 16 personnel from the Bandar Perda and Sungai Bakap fire stations, including a hazmat team from the Sungai Bakap station. The department later said the hazmat squad reported that a neutral reading was recorded from the sewer fluid, and confirmed there were no other hazards. As the sewer line fell under Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd's jurisdiction, the firm will follow up on the matter.
