FORMER Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Pagoh, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has demanded that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issue a formal apology and retract what he labelled as a defamatory claim made in the Dewan Rakyat.
The incident, which occurred during Thursday’s parliamentary session, caused brief commotion in the House when Muhyiddin accused the MP for Tambun of falsely alleging that he supported subsidies for foreign nationals, specifically relating to RON95 fuel.
“I have made it clear that such a statement is entirely untrue. Search the internet — you won’t find any such comment from me. What was uttered by the Honourable Member for Tambun is clearly slander,” Muhyiddin said while debating the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).
“Inside this House, he may have immunity, Tan Sri Speaker, but in the eyes of Allah SWT, there is no such immunity. Slander is haram — inside or outside Parliament.”
Muhyiddin, adopting a conciliatory tone, added: “He is only human. I, too, once held that office. Perhaps he made a mistake. If the Prime Minister were to say, ‘Muhyiddin, I’m sorry, I was wrong,’ I would accept it. I’m asking just one thing from the Honourable Member for Tambun — with your permission, Speaker — please apologise. Retract the statement. I am willing to accept the apology now.”
Earlier, Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) interjected, suggesting Anwar had failed to prepare adequately before entering Parliament. Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) proposed that Anwar, as MP for Tambun, be suspended from the Dewan Rakyat for six months. Muhyiddin expressed agreement with both remarks.
“He clearly didn’t do his homework. I know where he got the information — from false, fake sources. It is shameful that the Prime Minister is citing fabricated data in Parliament. False claims must be corrected,” he said.
Muhyiddin also revealed that he had been contacted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which summoned him to give a statement as a witness.
“The MCMC wants to question me as a witness. I want to know — has the Prime Minister himself been investigated? This is a personal issue initiated by him, and yet I am the one being questioned. This feels like a misuse of power,” he said.
Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul later confirmed that the Prime Minister’s Office had issued a directive for MCMC to investigate the origin of the alleged misinformation.
“I’ve received a letter from the PMO instructing the MCMC to investigate the source of this information — perhaps from a portal. We’ll wait and see. MCMC will determine the origin of this claim,” Johari told the House.
Muhyiddin, however, remained firm in his stance that the investigation should begin with Anwar himself. - August 7, 2025
