KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has threatened to drag Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to court over the latter’s allegation involving his lineage.
This comes less than a month after the Umno president initiated a defamation suit against Dr Mahathir for accusing him of attempting to free himself from his ongoing criminal charges.
In a statement today, Dr Mahathir said while he is not one to prefer court action, he felt the need to act against Zahid this time as his penchant for “lying” must not be allowed to continue.
In particular, the Pejuang chairman took issue with Zahid’s allegation that his (Dr Mahathir) original NRIC had identified his name as “Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty”.
“It has not only tarnished my reputation, but the lies he has spewed to Umno supporters and the Malays in a desperate bid to remain in power is extremely dangerous,” he said in a statement shared on his social media accounts today.
“I challenge Zahid, who is disputing my racial status as a Malay, to show proof of my identity. If he doesn’t apologise and withdraw his slanderous accusation, I will take court action.”
Zahid had made the allegation in July 2017, less than a year before the general election, when he claimed to be informed by the National Registration Department of Dr Mahathir’s supposed original name.
He also accused Dr Mahathir of only championing the Malays for his own personal gain.
In response, the Langkawi MP today said Zahid had failed to furnish any evidence to back his “Kutty” claim to date, while describing the latter as a “compulsive liar”.
Dr Mahathir said he believes the allegation over his lineage was made to question his qualification to lead a Malay party and a country predominantly of the same race.
“Yes, my blood is of Indian descent, I have even said so myself in my book. But the fact is my birth certificate and identification card name me as Mahathir Bin Mohamad.
“Based on the definition in Article 160 of the federal constitution, I am a Malay and my struggle is to protect the interests of my race.”
On Zahid’s defamation suit, Dr Mahathir said he is prepared to face the Umno man in court, adding that the action taken by his political rival was nothing more than an attempt to cover up his lies through a legal process.
It was reported on April 27 that Zahid had filed his suit in relation to a press conference conducted by Dr Mahathir in February where he supposedly claimed that the former and three others had met him in 2018 looking to rekindle their relationship.
Then, Dr Mahathir had alleged that the gesture was part of a larger plot to seek his assistance to drop criminal cases against Zahid.
The high court here has set June 17 as the hearing date for an interim injunction.
Earlier last month, Zahid had filed a similar defamation suit against another former prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, for claiming he had sought help to intervene in his graft cases. – The Vibes, May 17, 2022
