H-Net* Grandma: I don't believe her

[Concorde]

Thursday, November 4, 1999 Grandma: I don't believe her By Devid Rajah MALACCA: Norhayati Md Yusof's relatives have refused to accept her denial of her alleged sexual relationship with Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik. ASHAMED,ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED. . . Pendek giving her views on Norhayati's declaration at the press conference yesterday. STARpic by ANUAR RASHID The girl's grandmother Pendek Ahmad, 64, and her uncle Sabri Mohamed Yasin, 35, said they did not believe her story which she recounted on Tuesday. "Norhayati has betrayed our love and I am ashamed, angry and frustrated at what she did," Pendek told a press conference here yesterday. She questioned Norhayati's sincerity and believed she could have been induced to repudiate what she had allegedly told them five years ago. Also upset was the man who said he went to jail because of her--former Kota Melaka MP Lim Guan Eng. "I fought for five years, now she has denied it. I think you can understand my feelings when I say I am disgusted and I don't want to make any more statements," he said at the press conference where he was seated next to Pendek. Lim was jailed 18 months after he was found guilty of publishing false news and sedition in relation to statements he made about the alleged sexual affair. Pendek said she would go on a roadshow to dispute the declaration by Norhayati, adding that Norhayati should not forget Lim's contributions. Norhayati, now 20, who was implicated in the alleged sex scandal, made the denial in a statutory declaration. The mother of a six-month-old son said she had decided to make the denial because the issue had resurfaced in the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim trial. Norhayati, who was only 15 years old when she was implicated, was accompanied by her husband Sulaiman Mohd Ali, 28, a factory worker, at Tuesday's press conference. Yesterday, Pendek said she could not understand why Norhayati made the declaration. Pendek, whose written statement was read out by her son Sabri, expressed surprise at the turn of events. MAKING A STATEMENT. . . Sim helping Pendek put her thumbprint on her statement after reading it at the press conference in Malacca yesterday.Flanking them are Lim and Lim's wife Betty Chew while Sabri (left) looks on. She claimed that Norhayati had told the family of events leading to the allegation when she was 15. As a result of the incident, she said that Norhayati was detained by the police in Aug 1994. Pendek said she sought Guan Eng's help because she was not allowed to see Norhayati when she was detained. She claimed that Norhayati had appealed to the Yang di-Pertua Negri of Malacca and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to pardon Lim. Copies of the letters were produced at the press conference. Also present yesterday were Lim's wife Betty Chew, state Keadilan chief Omar Jaafar, state PAS commissioner Omar Baba, state DAP chief Sim Tong Him and DAP national organising secretary Kerk Kim Hock. Sabri made allegations of inducements offered to Norhayati's sister but was unable to produce any evidence. "Why, after so many years is she denying this? It is hard for us to believe this," he said. Abdul Rahim, when contacted, said he was willing to take up the challenge to swear on the Quran that he had nothing to do with Norhayati. "But before challenging me, Norhayati's uncle should ask his niece to swear on the Quran, because she is the one who made the declaration denying the relationship. "Why challenge me when I am not involved in the matter at all?" he asked. Abdul Rahim said that what had surfaced was a family matter for Norhayati and did not concern him. Deputy CPO Senior Asst Comm II Ahmad Lihat said that police would probe Nohayati's statutory declaration, adding that if Norhayati had been forced to go to Kuala Lumpur to fabricate a story, she could lodge a report and police would investigate.

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