JUDGMENT

Ravinthran Paramaguru JC:

Introduction

(1) The plaintiffs claim in this case is for slander and/or libel against the 1st defendant and for libel against the 2nd defendant. The 1st defendant is a political adversary of the plaintiff whereas the 2nd defendant is a newspaper publisher. The 1st defendant is alleged to have uttered defamatory words against the plaintiff at a public political gathering. The 2nd defendant is alleged to have published the defamatory words uttered by the 1st defendant in their newspaper. The 1st defendant had filed a counterclaim but as it had been struck out, it was not dealt with in this trial.

Background Of The Antagonists

(2) The plaintiff is an advocate and solicitor of 44 years standing. He is also a prominent politician. Initially, he was a member of the Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP). He won a seat to the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly on a SUPP ticket in 1974. However, the plaintiff left SUPP in 1978 and became a founder member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). He served as the Chairman of the Sarawak DAP Branch from 1980 to 1989.

(3) The 1st defendant is also a lawyer and a prominent politician. He has been practising