Defamation suit not an attack on press freedom

In 2007, journalist Ahirudin Attan, also known as Rocky Bru, found himself embroiled in a historic defamation lawsuit that, according to him, didn't diminish press freedom. Instead, it provided a platform for the journalist to demonstrate his honest reporting and fairness to all parties involved. This was the first time in history that a newspaper company had sued a blogger for defamation.

Attan, who spent four decades in journalism, believes that defamation suits don't kill press freedom. On the contrary, they offer a chance for the journalist to prove their truthfulness and fairness in a global arena. In the past, he notes, some of the biggest defamation cases occurred in the 1990s when companies demanded hefty compensation from journalists.

However, other pressing issues existed at the time, including the Internal Security Act and the Official Secrets Act, which could be used to shut down publications without notice.

Attan has his own principles regarding defamation: journalists shouldn't sue anyone for defamation, and politicians should only sue other politicians. Salim Fateh Din, the defendant in the current case against journalist P Gunasegaram, is neither a journalist nor a politician. He is a deputy executive chairman of a public-listed property development, engineering, and construction company.

Despite the size of the alleged damages, reaching up to RM240 million, Attan stresses that the defendant still has the right to defend themselves.

In cases where a journalist has been successfully sued for defamation, the defendant has often been ordered to pay a sum, but has been given a chance to apologize and retract the damages. One such case involved Salim suing a blogger, Murray Hunter, for defamation; after a heated dispute, Hunter apologized and admitted to defaming Salim. Another case involved Badrul Hisham Shaharin, also known as Chegubard, where Salim and the blogger settled out of court.

Attan argues that Gunasegaram, the defendant in his current lawsuit, is not a typical case. Having been an established journalist for 42 years, Gunasegaram knows the ins and outs of defamation suits. He believes that while the lawsuit might be inconvenient for Gunasegaram, it's an opportunity to prove the truthfulness and fairness of his commentary or report, all while upholding press freedom.