KUALA LUMPUR: In what appears to be a tit for tat, the High Court was told that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad filed a lawsuit against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after the latter sued him first.
The former Langkawi MP however, asserted that it was his right to take legal action, claiming his reputation and popularity were adversely affected by Ahmad Zahid's "Kutty" remarks in 2017.
"I was less popular because of the statement made by Ahmad Zahid," he said during the proceedings on Monday.
Ahmad Zahid's lawyer Mohd Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, was questioning Dr Mahathir about the delay in his legal action, which he initiated in July 2022, some four years after the incident.
"I've got a lot of things to do. I have to handle a lot of other businesses.
"But along the way, I realised what he (Ahmad Zahid) said was believed by some people," Dr Mahathir replied, describing Ahmad Zahid's comments as a "personal insult."
Dr Mahathir was testifying in a defamation lawsuit concerning Ahmad Zahid's remarks.
On April 20, 2022, Ahmad Zahid filed a defamation suit against Dr Mahathir over the latter's claim that he sought Dr Mahathir's help to drop his corruption charges in court.
Mohd Shahrul: He is suing you, so that's why you sued him back.
Dr Mahathir: That is one of the reasons but the main reason is that what he said was a lie that affected my reputation.
Mohd Shahrul then suggested that Dr Mahathir's legal action was purely an afterthought after he was no longer in power.
In response, Dr Mahathir's lawyer Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi told the court that individuals have six years to initiate legal action.
In his statement of claim, Dr Mahathir alleged that Ahmad Zahid's comments during an Umno divisional meeting on July 30, 2017, suggested he was not born Malay or Muslim, with an alleged original name of "Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty."
Dr Mahathir argued that the statement implied he only claimed to be a Malay when he became prime minister to gain political and personal advantage.
In his statement of defence, Ahmad Zahid denied that his statement was malicious or harmful to Dr Mahathir's reputation.
The Umno president claimed that the name referenced was based on the information in an old copy of an identity card and stated he had no control over the publication of his comments in the media.
The hearing continues before Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong on Wednesday (Oct 16).
