KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Anthony Loke appeared unfazed over the prospect of being sued by Dewan Negara president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran.

“It is his right if he wants to take legal action. Bring it on lah.

“If I had to face legal action for standing up for my airport staff, I have no regrets for that. So I think that is the right thing to do,” he said to reporters when met at the Parliament lobby on Monday (Nov 19).

Earlier on Monday, Vigneswaran said he will initiate legal proceedings against Loke for accusing him of breaching security protocols while using the VIP lane at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Vigneswaran claimed that he was unfairly put on trial by media while his family members were ridiculed on social media following the incident.

On that matter, Loke said that he wasn’t targeting Vigneswaran’s family when he revealed the controversial footage during a press conference last Saturday (Nov 17).

“We are not targeting his family. What we are saying is that a VIP had entered into a restricted area without authorisation. That is the issue.

“That is why I said there’s a breach of protocol. I didn’t raise any other issues and I did not involve his family at all,” he said.

If Vigneswaran decides to go ahead with legal proceedings, Loke said he could sue him in his capacity as Transport Minister.

Responding to a statement made by Federal Territories MIC chief S. Rajah on Monday (Nov 19), Loke said that the issue wasn’t about Vigneswaran wearing slippers.

“We are talking about someone who entered a restricted area without authorisation.

“The issue is not about slippers or sandals.”

Rajah had challenged Loke to take legal action against Tun Daim Zainuddin for allegedly wearing slippers during an official trip to China last July.

Loke, without mincing his words, questioned the intelligence of Rajah for using Daim’s choice of wearing sandals as an example.

“I was puzzled when I saw that statement. If they (MIC leaders) can’t even understand that simple argument, no wonder MIC is being rejected by the Indian community,” Loke claimed

In the Nov 14 incident at 10.40pm, officers stationed at the VIP lanes stopped the MIC president for not adhering to proper dress code and for going through the VIP lane without undergoing security checks.

Vigneswaran is now being probed by the police under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959 after a police report was lodged by the airport management last Saturday.