‘It looks like me, sounds like me, but may not be me’

SHAH ALAM: Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali today parroted an infamous lawyer's testimony during a royal commission of inquiry about a controversial video clip that was circulated in 2007, when he claimed that a character in the recording was not him although it sounded and looked like him.
"It looks like me, sounds like me, but the (person's) mouth movement is not consistent with what is being said, so it may not be me," said Ibrahim when he testified in his defamation suit against theSun at the High Court today.
"I disagree that it is me," he said in answer to theSun's counsel Himahlini Ramalingam when she cross-examined him about the video which was shown in court today, where the central character was uttering racist remarks against Indians and Chinese during a speech.
The video had been introduced as evidence by the defence in the suit, where Ibrahim claimed theSun had defamed him in an article with the heading "Sultan keeps Perkasa guessing on invitation", published on March 17, 2010.
He had named theSun's then managing editor, Chong Cheng Hai, and then deputy editor (special reports and investigations) Terence Fernandez, and the publisher Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd as defendants.
The article was about whether the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, was going to grace the launch of Perkasa's Selangor chapter on March 27, 2010 as the sultan had reportedly remained non-committal despite pleas by Ibrahim.
The article also said the ruler was displeased that the invitation to the event stated that he would be officiating at the launch when the palace had not responded officially.
In his statement of claim, Ibrahim said the article defamed him as it had portrayed him as a chauvinist and extremist in championing the rights of the Malays.
Ibrahim claimed that various articles that had been published quoting him on various occasions, were either inaccurate or taken out of context.
Asked by Himahlini if he agreed that he had called for a jihad against Christians after an Utusan Malaysia article entitled "Tidak mewakili semua Melayu?" on May 16, 2011, Ibrahim admitted he did and said: "You must understand the meaning of 'jihad'. You must understand the context."
Ibrahim said various articles by The Star and even an interview by mStar were also either inaccurate or misleading.
"All the headings of articles in the papers are made up by the newspaper. They make up and spin our words. Our statements may say something entirely different," he said when further questioned by Himahlini.
On an interview with mStar that was published on March 28, 2010 where he was quoted as saying that he is hopeful the sultan would reconsider Perkasa's request to grace the launch and revert to them, Ibrahim said: "I had requested to meet the sultan as a sign of respect and during the audience on March 16, 2010, he said he would reconsider. He was being polite. I knew he would not grace the launch as a letter from the palace dated March 12, 2010 had stated that he would not be coming."
However, Ibrahim said during the audience, the sultan did not say anything about Perkasa or him being extreme or chauvinistic.
"His Royal Highness said he could not grace the event as he did not want to be associated with politics. He greeted us warmly (during the audience) unlike
what was reported in the article," he said.
However, the defence today adduced as evidence a statement from the palace that stated: " ... the sultan intended to advise Perkasa not to be too extreme and not to be too racial".
The statement read: "Perkasa is an NGO that is supposed to defend the royal institution, Malay and bumiputra rights as well as uphold the sanctity of Islam as the official religion of Malaysia. His Royal Highness intended to advise Perkasa not to be too extreme and not to be too racial, but achieve their objective through existing channels based on existing laws."
Ibrahim said theSun's article has seriously affected his reputation as Perkasa chief and politician.
"The report was like reverse psychology. It tried to portray Perkasa, which at that time was newly established, in bad light," he said.
"I cannot accept the chauvinist label on me. It stigmatised me among the non-Malay community," he told judicial commissioner M. Gunalan.
"I am not a racist ... I am a true Malaysian and a good citizen," he added.
The hearing continues tomorrow.