Agenda Daily has practised responsible journalism in publication of article, says owner

Muhamad Izwan, 37, as the defendant filed the statement of defence at the High Court through Messr Asiah Abd Jalil Law Chambers last week.

Based on the statement of defence, Muhamad Izwan refuted that the article contained defamatory and malicious statements toward Ismail Sabri as the plaintiff in the defamation suit.

"The article was a fair and justified commentary and political analysis. If the plaintiff (Ismail Sabri) did not agree with the comments and analysis, at any time, the plaintiff as a prime minister and prominent politician, always has the space and opportunity to answer and refute it," he claimed.

The defendant, who holds a Bachelor's degree in Translation and Interpreting Studies from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), claimed the words used in the article do not have negative connotations in politics nor are they insulting, instead, the words reflect a politician's humility in asking for support.

On March 4, the High Court granted Ismail Sabri an ad-interim injunction against Muhamad Izwan in his defamation suit over an article published in January, to maintain the status quo pending the disposal of the inter-parte injunction application on April 27.

On Feb 18, Ismail Sabri obtained an interim injunction order from the High Court for the defendant to remove the posting and from making any statements in relation to him.

Ismail Sabri, in the defamation suit which he filed in his personal capacity, alleged that on Jan 30, Agenda Daily had published an article on its website which contained various ill-intentioned, defamatory and untrue statements regarding the plaintiff.

He said that the article, among others, implied that he was desperate to continue being the prime minister in whatever way and was even willing to beg certain political parties not to withdraw their support for him besides inferring that he was concerned about becoming the prime minister with the shortest tenure in Malaysian history.

As a result of the publication of the article, Ismail Sabri said his reputation as a UMNO member and as prime minister had been tarnished.

"The publication also caused me emotional turmoil and the defamatory statements contained in the article can also have a negative effect on my political career," he said.

As such, Ismail Sabri sought an injunction order for the defendant to delete the defamatory article on all websites and social media operated by the defendant and an injunction order to prevent the defendant or his agent from issuing similar defamatory statements against the plaintiff.