KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Teresa Kok has warned three constituents who accused her of being an absent and ineffectual MP that she would sue them for defamation if they continued the allegations against her.
Kok, who have been Seputeh MP since 1999, said the coordinators of the Protect Taman Desa From Over-Development group were making baseless claims in accusing her of not being present in her area and for condemning her for failing to deliver the changes they sought.
“The negative statements against me were initiated by certain disgruntled activists in Taman Desa, namely Frank Yeh, Philip Phang and M. Gunasekar.
“As such, I am compelled to issue a final warning to them, who hide behind ’Protect Taman Desa From Over-Development’, to cease and desist from continuing their despicable acts.
“I therefore reserve all my legal rights to commence legal proceedings in defamation, if necessary, to protect and preserve my reputation,” she said in a statement yesterday.
She claimed that the trio appeared to hold a personal vendetta against her and were using the lobby group’s Facebook page to spread unsubstantiated allegations against her.
Kok said she did not know why they were targeting her or the cause of their dissatisfaction with her.
Citing multiple news reports from various agencies to substantiate her claims, Kok said she has been one of the most vocal MPs against overdevelopment in Kuala Lumpur.
She went on to list her efforts in the area over the years, which she said demonstrated her stance against uncontrolled urban development.
“I have been constantly and consistently, without fail, voicing out the grave concerns and discontent of the KL folks, both in and outside Parliament.
“I have also voiced the issues at all the meetings between the MPs and the FT minister and the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur in the past few years,” she said.
She added that she had been an active participant in several protests and press conferences against rampant urban development including those in Taman Desa.
In an effort to explain her side of the story, Kok accused the trio of boycotting a signature campaign she had organised last year and purportedly incited some residents from participating.
She said she was also not invited to a sit-in protest in February for being associated with politics, but was surprised to find out that the same restriction was not applied to a MCA representative who was spotted at the event.
Kok alleged that two of her accusers — Yeh and Phang — have also started sharing screen grabs of a conversation between her and them to justify their allegations that she was ignoring the plight of Taman Desa residents.
“Yeh and Phang have personally sent me messages on May 24 demanding that I call a town hall meeting in Taman Desa on the over-development issue.
“I have replied to them that I will do that only after the Federal Territories minister is appointed, as the DBKL Mayor has duly informed all KL MPs that he needs to get instructions and directions from the new minister.
“They then duly made a screenshot my WhatsApp communication with them and proceeded to post it on Facebook,” she said.
On May 26, the Facebook page posted the screencaps alongside criticisms against Kok for her ‘unwillingness to act on local issues until a Federal Territories minister is appointed’.
The post said elected representatives have a duty to be proactive in addressing and resolving matters brought to their attention by constituents, before adding that failure to do so would break the bond of trust between the MPs and those who voted for them.
