This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 20, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: As controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik prepared to have his statement recorded again in Bukit Aman yesterday afternoon, his lawyers sent four more notices of demand to Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P Ramasamy, former diplomat Datuk Dennis J Ignatius, Klang member of Parliament Charles Santiago and Bagan Dalam assemblyman M Satees.

Zakir, who issued a similar notice against Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran last Friday, wants them to apologise and retract their statements about him within 48 hours or risk being sued.

The four notices of demand were sent by law firm Akberdin & Co yesterday.

Zakir had lodged police reports last Friday against the five at the Shah Alam police station and only managed to serve the notice on Kulasegaran’s office last Friday afternoon.

The Indian-born preacher, who had been given permanent resident status in 2015, claimed that the articles or statements by the four of them, which were published in the media, were defamatory and instigated racial disharmony and hatred among Malaysian citizens.

The five of them had made comments on his speech at an event held in Kota Baru earlier this month.

Zakir claimed that their allegedly defamatory statements had affected his reputation and hence tarnished his image in the eyes of the Malaysian public, as he claimed his statement had been manipulated by them and painted him as an extremist and out to create discord.

In the notice of demand sent yesterday, he singled out Ramasamy and Ignatius for mention.

On Ramasamy, the preacher claimed that he made the statement out of malice.

Zakir claimed that Ignatius published the articles with malice and motivated by a personal vendetta against him.

The preacher was scheduled to give his second statement to the police at Bukit Aman at 3pm yesterday.