KUCHING, Dec 22 2025: Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen said that he will appeal against the decision of the High Court that found him liable for defaming Deputy Premier Dr Sim Kui Hian over social media posts related to the state government's food relief funds during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chong Chieng Jen: The reasoning given by the judge fails to apprehend the gist of his Facebook posts
He said he is totally disappointed with the judgment of the High Court today and will definitely appeal.
“The comments in question made by me were based on an official directive issued by the state government which is discriminatory in nature and to this day has not been officially revoked,” he said in a statement in response to the court’s verdict.
“I am of the view that my comment was a fair criticism against the state government’s discriminatory policy and will stand by my position.
“To me, the reasoning given by the judge fails to apprehend the gist of my Facebook posts,” he said.
Earlier today, Judge Alwi Abdul Wahab ordered Chong to pay Dr Sim RM350,000 as general and aggravated damages for defamation, RM50,000 as general damages for malicious falsehood and RM100,000 as total costs.
The litigation arose over allegations involving the misuse of misuse and manipulation of the Sarawak government funds in the sum of RM800,000 for food relief during the height of the Covid-19
Pandemic.
The judge found that Dr Sim had successfully established an action for defamation and malicious falsehood against Chong whose Facebook Post was maliciously published and calculated to injure the plaintiff’s reputation.
The court also found that the defendant failed to establish the defences of justification, fair comment, qualified privilege, and Reynold’s privilege.
The defendant’s counterclaim was also dismissed in toto where the judge found that the plaintiff’s Borneo Post articles and press statements did not carry any words capable of bearing a defamatory
meaning.
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