Malaysian Indian politicos locked in court battle
October 14th, 2009 - 9:42 pm ICT by IANSKuala Lumpur, Oct 14 (IANS) T. Murugiah, a deputy minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department, Wednesday filed a RM10 million ($2.95 million) defamation suit against his former colleague and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) president M. Kayveas in a new twist to their political battle.
Murugiah, who was a former PPP supreme council member, filed the suit claiming that Kayveas had made defamatory statements at several news conferences that were untrue and had an ulterior motive, New Straits Times said.
Both ethnic Indian leaders fell out earlier this year, after which Murugiah made an unsuccessful bid to oust the party boss.
He found himself in a minority when party delegates cast their votes in favour of Kayveas.
PPP is a multi-ethnic party with a dominant section of ethnic Indians, who constitute about eight percent of Malaysia’s population. It is a constituent of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
Murugiah is the PPP nominee in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s government.
The prime minister has taken a detached stand, urging both leaders to sort out their differences.
Murugiah is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and costs and an injunction to restraint Kayveas from making any further defamatory statements against him, Bernama, the official news agency, reported.
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