The court ruled that the defendant's statements on a WhatsApp group were defamatory, failing to prove defenses of justification and qualified privilege, resulting in damages awarded to the plaintiff.

JUDGMENT

Julie Lack J:

Introduction

[1] This is an action by the Plaintiff for defamation which arose from the publication of statements by the Defendant found on the WhatsApp group known as "Taiwan University Alumni Association Negeri Sembilan ("TUAANS WhatsApp Group").

[2] The Defendant disputed the claim, denying that he was the author of those alleged statements and alternatively he raised the defence of justification and fair comment.

Parties

[3] In the year 2016 the Plaintiff was a member of Chung Yuan University (Taiwan) Alumni Association Malaysia (CYUAA) which nominated him for the position of President in the Federation of Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities Malaysia (FAATUM).

[4] The Defendant was the Vice President of the Federation of Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities Malaysia.

Brief Background Facts

[5] The Annual General Meeting and election of the 22nd Election and Appointment of General Committee Members for FAATUM was set on 17 April 2016. At the meeting the Plaintiff was elected as its President.

[6] On or about 16 December 2016, it came to light that the registration of CYUAA had been revoked on or about 8 June 2015. This information was received via letter written by the Sabah State Registry of Societies dated 13 December 2016 addressed to one Dato Ting Siew Haw. The contents of this letter was circulated on WhatsApp to all the members.

[7] Upon coming to know of this the Plaintiff announced the termination of his tenure as the President of FAATUM and directed for a re-election to be conducted. A re-election exercise was conducted on 12 February 2017 and the Plaintiff failed to defend his seat as President.

[8] The Plaintiff has averred that both he and CYUAA were unaware of the revocation status of CYUAA until receipt of the letter from the Sabah State Registry of Societies.

[9] The Plaintiff alleged that the Defendant had made defamatory statements against the Plaintiff on the WhatsApp group named "Taiwan University Alumni Association Negeri Sembilan (TUAANS) WhatsApp Group. These defamatory statements can be read by all the members in the TUAANS WhatsApp Group. The Plaintiff has alleged that those statements had affected him adversely and had resulted in harm to his reputation.

[10] The impugned statements in Mandarin (and the English translation of them in italic) circulated by the Defendant that the Plaintiff claims are defamatory of him are reproduced as follows:

(Terjemahan perenggan ini adalah separti berikut:

"...Peng Choong Leng semasa dicalonkan tidak berpengetahuan bahawa pendaftaran CYUAA telah dibatalkan. Setelah kejadian Persatuan Siswazah Taiwan Kedah, mereka telah menugaskan dua orang junior untuk menyiasat persatuan alumni universiti yang lain secara rahsia, dengan harapan supaya mendapati bahawa penyokong- penyokong Dato' Siew Haw adalah bermasalah. Tetapi malangnya, adalah didapati bahawa pendaftaran CYUAA telah dibatalkan pada tahun 2015. Kedua-dua suami dan isteri meminta 2 orang junior tersebut supaya tidak mendedahkan.

Dalam mesyuarat sebelum Pilihan Raya, Jawatankuasa Pilihan Raya teiah berulang kali meminta persatuan-persatuan alumni universiti yang bermasalah supaya menyerahkan diri, tetapi beliau tidak menghadapinya secara jujur, menyebabkan kesusahan dan kekecohan yang dialami oleh FAATUM pada hari ini.

Saya telah bekerjasama dengan Peng Choong Leng selama empat tahun, pada muianya saya juga menyokong beliau untuk menjadi Presiden, tetapi pada tahun yang keempat kedua-dua suami isteri telah menunjukkan diri mereka yang sebenar, saya baru bertukar untuk menyokong Dato! Siew Haw yang mempunyai kredibiliti, dan berupaya kepemimpinan...")

(Terjemahan perenggan ini adalah separti berikut:

"...tetapi malangnya, disebabkan ketidakupayaan Peng Choong Leng daiam kepemimpinan, Sekretariat FAATUM telah meletakkan jawatan secara kolektif, rakan-rakan seperjuangan telah meninggalkannya satu demi satu...")

(Terjemahan perenggan ini adaiah separti berikut:

"...jika senior sekalian berminat untuk meng