NAJIB ACCEPTS MALAYSIAKINI`S APOLOGY

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun
Razak Wednesday accepted the apologies of the editor and reporter of Internet
news portal Malaysiakini over an article alleging that he had issued a manifesto
to back his bid for the number one post in Umno.

The United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO, is a right-wing party and
Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the Barisan Nasional
coalition, which has been Malaysia's ruling political party since
independence.

The Umno deputy president said the Malaysiakini journalist, Wong Choon Mei,
had acted responsibly by tendering her resignation.

"I would like to say that I accept the apologies or the decision of the
Malaysiakini editor to apologise for the totally false report which purported
that the manifesto was issued by me.

"Secondly, the journalist who resigned had shown a high degree of
professionalism because she had taken full responsibility for the story which
was totally false," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here
Wednesday.

On Tuesday Wong, who had been with the news portal for three months,
resigned to take full responsiblity for the error in the report.

She had used information from an e-mail from a purported "Najib Support
Group" in the report published on Sunday without verifying with the deputy prime
minister's department.

Najib said the question that arose from the false report was who had
concocted the story.

"The real culprit is still hiding...we don't know who is responsible for
the
story," he said.

Asked whether it was an orchestrated move to put him in bad light, he said:
"It doesn't matter. I may have to put up with all this until March (when the
Umno elections will be held).

Asked whether he would take legal action on the matter, he said he would
leave it to authorities to decide and was satisfied on the basis of the
apologies by the editor of Malaysiakini and the journalist concerned who have
taken full responsibility.

Stating that nobody liked those types of baseless attacks and allegations
which were totally unfounded, he called upon Malaysians not to be duped by such
attempts.

-- BERNAMA