Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad deemed Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's words on 'Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty' to be a personal insult, the High Court heard recently.
The former prime minister claimed that Zahid, a deputy prime minister and Umno president, made false statements that harmed his reputation and status as a senior politician, making him less popular among Malay voters, according to The New Straits Times.
"Any idiot can see that he (Zahid) attempted to portray me as a non-Malay by saying I am the son of Iskandar Kutty.
"I brought this lawsuit because he insulted me by bringing up the 'Kutty issue,' which concerns my heritage. Malays use 'bin' in their names rather than the 'son of'.
"His entire statement is false... he intended to portray me as pretending to be Mahathir Mohamad," he said under cross-examination by Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, Zahid's counsel.
Dr. Mahathir is testifying as a witness in his defamation suit against Zahid's 2017 remarks, which claimed the former's real identity was Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty.
Dr. Mahathir further stated that his defamation lawsuit against Zahid was a retaliation to Ahmad Zahid’s lawsuit.
Zahid's suit alleged Dr. Mahathir accused him of seeking interference in his criminal case.
The former Langkawi member of parliament filed this lawsuit three months after Zahid filed one against him in April 2022.
The High Court was informed that former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad filed a case against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after the latter originally sued him, as reported by The Star.
However, the former Langkawi MP insisted that it was his right to initiate legal action.
Ahmad Zahid's lawyer, Mohd Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, questioned Dr. Mahathir about the delay in his legal case, which he filed in July 2022, four years after the incident.
"I have a lot of things to do. I have to manage several different businesses but along the way, I realized what Ahmad Zahid said was believed by some people," Dr. Mahathir said, calling Ahmad Zahid's remarks a “personal insult.”
Dr. Mahathir was testifying in a defamation suit over Ahmad Zahid's remarks.
On April 20, 2022, Ahmad Zahid filed a defamation suit against Dr. Mahathir, claiming that the latter helped him drop his corruption allegations in court.
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