PETALING JAYA: The Star's Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai will not back down in the face of an impending lawsuit by Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
"I will see him in court," said Wong, who is Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer, responding to a statement from the Perkasa chief who said that he would proceed with the defamation lawsuit against him.
"No one can stop the voice of moderation and reasoning. Malaysia has no room for extremism," said Wong.
An online news portal quoted Ibrahim as saying that the response he received to his Nov 24 letter of demand to Wong sounded like a "sermon" (khutbah).
"I am not saying he is wrong, but I want the court to decide if his statement was defamatory," Ibrahim was quoted as saying.
On Nov 24, Ibrahim sent a letter of demand to Wong, claiming that the latter's article titled "A mind-boggling spin" published in The Star and The Star Online on Nov 2 contained defamatory statements against him.
A letter of demand is a letter sent from a lawyer on behalf of a client to demand payment or any other action from another party, usually to imply that a court case would be filed unless the stated demands are met.
Ibrahim allegedly made the "bible-burning" remark in January last year with regard to individuals who had purportedly distributed Bibles containing the word "Allah" to students, including Malays, at SMK Jelutong in Penang.
On Oct 27, it was reported that no legal action would be taken against Ibrahim because he was said to be "defending the sanctity of Islam" and had no intention to create religious disharmony when he called for the burning of Bibles containing the word "Allah".
In Wong's article, which appeared in his On The Beat column, Wong questioned why no charges were filed against Ibrahim over his remarks.
He added that no one should have the suspicion or perception that the feelings of only one race matter in Malaysia.
