Muhyiddin should have known better, Anwar says in GE15 defamation suit

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Muhyiddin Yassin, as a veteran politician and former prime minister, ought to have known that it was undesirable to make public statements that could potentially inflame and promote feelings of ill-will during the 15th general election (GE15).

In response to Muhyiddin’s defence statement against his defamation suit, the Pakatan Harapan chairman claimed that Muhyiddin had distorted the truth and disseminated scurrilous falsehoods in respect to his salary as the Selangor government economic adviser, especially when he had publicly rebutted it years ago.

The plaintiff thus claimed that Muhyiddin’s statement during an election campaign in Padang Serai in GE15 last year was defamatory and malicious.

“Muhyiddin ought to have known that it is undesirable to make public statements that have a tendency to inflame and promote feelings of ill-will, discontent or hostility between persons and candidates, to induce any elector or voter before, during and after election, more so when such statements are defamatory and malicious in nature.

“Nonetheless, the defendant proceeded to make the same impugned slanderous and/or libellous words via his speeches in an election campaign which is clearly and indisputably a contravention of the Election Offences Act 1954,” Anwar said in his reply to the Perikatan Nasional chairman, filed through SN Nair & Partners dated Feb 16. 

He further claimed that it was not difficult for Muhyiddin to access the publicly available parliamentary Hansard record before making the allegation.

The Tambun MP contended that Muhyiddin had no legal duty to issue allegedly false and malicious statements in the Padang Serai constituency, which is not even the latter’s parliamentary constituency of Pagoh.

In the suit, Anwar, 75, claimed that on Dec 5, Muhyiddin made the slanderous remarks against him in a speech during the "Grand Finale Perikatan Nasional Padang Serai" in Taman Selasih, Kulim, in support of PN candidate Azman Nasrudin, which was attended by a large crowd.

Anwar is seeking, among others, general damages, aggravated damages, exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent Muhyiddin from continuing to publish or distribute similar defamatory statements.

On Jan 17, Muhyiddin in his statement of defence claimed, among others, that Anwar should not be offended by the criticisms and questions he raised in his speech.