KUALA LUMPUR – The former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who testified in a lawsuit he initiated against the current Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for alleged defamation, emphasized that he has been a Malay and a Muslim since birth and there was no such identification card (IC) that referred to him by that name from the time he was born until he graduated from university.

Dr. Mahathir, who acknowledged that this is his first time giving testimony in court as a plaintiff, stated that Ahmad Zahid’s claim that his original name is Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty is completely untrue.

“That’s not my name,” he said.

The former Prime Minister, who answered his lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali’s questions during the first examination, stated that it was clear based on the identity card and the evidence from both the old and new birth certificates.

It is said that the name was never written anywhere until Ahmad Zahid made a statement claiming that he has an identity card with the name Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty.

“I realize (Ahmad Zahid’s statement) is a lie, there is not a single IC (identity card) using that name.” Since I was born until I entered university and became a doctor, no one has ever called me Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty. This is a lie by Ahmad Zahid. My father’s name is Mohamad bin Iskandar and my mother’s name is Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi.

“My father is from Penang and is Malay, where my ancestors have lineage from the southern state of India, namely Kerala. My mother, on the other hand, is from Kedah and both are of true Malay descent,” he said.

On July 20, 2022, Dr. Mahathir, 99, as the plaintiff filed the lawsuit naming Ahmad Zahid, 71, who is also the President of UMNO, as the defendant.

Based on the statement of claim, Dr. Mahathir said that the defendant made false statements, defamatory in nature, and with malicious intent by directly referring to him during the UMNO Division Meeting in Kelana Jaya on July 30, 2017.

Dr. Mahathir stated that he firmly believes that the individuals referred to as ‘that person’, ‘he’, and ‘Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty’ in the defamation statement clearly refer to him specifically.

Dr. Mahathir said that Ahmad Zahid, with malicious intent, made defamatory statements that exposed him to public dissatisfaction and hatred.

Following that, he stated that his position as a statesman and an influential political figure in the eyes of the world is viewed with suspicion.

In addition, Dr. Mahathir stated that Ahmad Zahid’s defamatory statement implicitly suggests that his credibility to lead the country and a party that prioritizes the Malay community as a whole is being questioned and doubted.

It is said that he has also been informed that he is a liar, untrustworthy, self-serving, unethical while holding a public office, and unfit to be a leader or a figure in the community.

The trial before Commissioner of Justice, Gan Techiong are continues.