PETALING JAYA: Siti Mastura Mohammad has defended her claim that Lim Kit Siang is related to the deceased communist leader Chin Peng, saying that she obtained her information from political sources she deemed are reliable.

       In a court document, Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Mohammad said she relied on an old book titled: "Bahan Kempen, Komunikasi Barisan Nasional" ("Campaign Material, Barisan Nasional Communications").

       In her statement of defence filed in court on Friday (Jan 12), she quoted an excerpt from the book that stated that Lim and the late ex-Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew are cousins of Chin Peng, the founder of the Malayan Communist Party.

       Siti Mastura said she believed Barisan Nasional communications was an entity that supplied reliable political information.

       She further said that she did not make her statements publicly and gave the speech in a closed-door meeting in Terengganu on Nov 4 that was only attended by PAS members involved in the Kemaman by-election campaign machinery.

       "There was no live broadcast nor official recording of the event meant for distribution," she said.

       Lim, his son Guan Eng who is currently DAP chairman and DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok had filed defamation suits against Siti Mastura for saying they were related to Chin Peng in her speech.

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       The suits have been consolidated to be heard at the Penang High Court.

       A video clip of her speech went viral on social media.

       Siti Mastura said that neither she nor her agents had edited or ordered the video to be produced and that she did not own the TikTok account '@kopitarik24', cited by the plaintiffs.

       Messrs Faizi & Associates are appearing for Siti Mastura with the plaintiffs represented by SN Nair.