KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 27): Former two-time prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad told the court on Tuesday that he is not embarrassed to admit that he has Indian ancestry, but that does not negate the fact that he is a Malay.
“I’m not ashamed to say that I have Indian blood but that does not mean that I am not a Malay,” he said.
The former prime minister took the stand for the second day in his defamation trial against deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over the Umno chief’s (Ahmad Zahid) comments, which Mahathir says implied that he was not born as a Malay or a Muslim, with the alleged original name of “Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty”.
Mahathir claims that Ahmad Zahid’s comments painted him as an opportunist, wherein he proclaimed to be Malay only to gain political and personal favour and had a skewed view about the Indian community.
In proceedings that seemed to be directionless since Monday (Aug 26), Mahathir distilled the point of the entire trial on Tuesday to this: that he was not interested in comments about his ancestry but rather that Ahmad Zahid’s comments are libelous to the 99 year-old’s character.
“What I’m saying [is that Ahmad Zahid’s statements] implied that I cheated, saying that my name is Mahathir Mohamad and not Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty.
“The implication is that I didn’t use that name but [used the name] Mahathir Mohamad, so I’m cheating.
“It’s not a matter of whether it is a Malay Muslim name or not… The name [Ahmad Zahid] used is not [my] real name and I didn’t lie. My name is Mahathir Mohamad,” he thundered in court, emphasising the crux of his legal action.
On the stand on Tuesday, Mahathir reiterated that his name was Mahathir Mohamad as reflected in all iterations of his identification card (IC).
“I am a Penang Malay, not Jawi Peranakan. Mohamed Iskandar is my father, who is sometimes known as Mohamed bin Iskandar,” he said.
He reiterated that he had roots which can be traced back to Kerala, India, and that his grandfather or great-grandfather was from there but he never discussed it with his family.
Ahmad Zahid’s counsel Mohd Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman then quoted several books and articles which made references to Mahathir’s South Asian ancestry.
To this, the elder politician quipped, “If I go to Pakistan, they say I’m Pakistani. If I’m in Bangladesh, they say I am Bangladeshi. When I’m in Sri Lanka, they say I am Sri Lankan. But that is not true. I’m not [from any of these countries]; my dad is also not from these countries. He was born as a Malay from Malaysia”.
Mahathir also said that many books written about him contained inaccuracies about his ancestry. However, he had not initiated legal action against the authors because he can’t be suing all the authors and publishers.
Earlier during Tuesday’s proceedings, Mahathir claimed that Ahmad Zahid’s comments regarding his name percolated for years, resulting in Mahathir’s loss in the 15th general election (GE15).
He claimed this despite clinching a major win in the 2018 general elections with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance and becoming Malaysia’s prime minister for the second time, breaking Barisan Nasional’s almost 61-year hold on power.
Mahathir led Malaysia the first time from 1981 to 2003 when he was with Umno. He quit the party in 2016.
Mahathir claimed that even when Ahmad Zahid’s comments were made in 2017, it was still a factor which resulted in his dramatic loss in the November 2022 general elections.
“The comments had an influence but I can’t measure its impact. After [Ahmad Zahid’s comments], Umno continued to campaign on this and maybe people accepted the lie,” he said.
Mahathir, a medical doctor by profession, won 44.4% or a majority of 8,893 votes in 2018, when he contested in Langkawi.
However, he failed to defend his seat in 2022, coming in fourth in a five-corner fight. He only secured 6.8% or 4,566 votes, and lost his deposit. The loss was Mahathir’s first electoral defeat in 53 years.
In this trial, Mahathir is represented by lawyers Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi and Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali.
Mahathir is seeking general, exemplary and aggravated damages from Ahmad Zahid, and an injunction barring Ahmad Zahid or his agents from repeating the making of such claims.
The trial before Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong continues.
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