KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who just turned 99 last month, today came to the High Court here to testify as a witness in his own defamation suit against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
At 10.04am, Dr Mahathir who was dressed in a suit and a tie, took to the witness stand and read out his oath in a steady voice, and also said he is now a pensioner.
About 40 minutes into his testimony, Dr Mahathir’s lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali informed the court that there may be a problem with his client’s earpiece and asked for permission for the doctor on duty to adjust the earpiece.
High Court judicial commissioner Gan Techiong allowed this, and later also allowed a short break at 11.10am — which is typical and usually requested by lawyers during court hearings — of around 20 minutes before Dr Mahathir resumed testifying.
Later, shortly past noon, Zahid’s lawyer Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman asked Dr Mahathir to look at two different numbers of “2232518” and “2232519” in two different news reports, which Zahid was reported to have stated in a July 2017 Umno division meeting.
Asked by Mohamed Shahrul Fazli if he was familiar or knew these numbers, Dr Mahathir said those numbers looked different.
At this point, judicial commissioner Gan asked Zahid’s lawyer to pause, and took out a magnifying glass and instructed for Dr Mahathir to be handed the magnifying glass, saying: “That may assist you, Tun”.
Dr Mahathir then read out the two sets of numbers and again said they were different, while clarifying that “2232519” was the number of his old identity card.
At 12.40pm, when Mohamed Shahrul Fazli suggested a lunch break, Gan asked how long Dr Mahathir would need a lunch break.
“Normally if we adjourn now, I’m thinking of returning at 2.30pm. Will that be too short for Tun given his age?
“Tun, do you think you can come back by 2.30pm? Will that be too short for you? Is that enough for you to have your lunch and perhaps your medicine and so on, is that enough time?” he asked.
Dr Mahathir’s lawyer Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi then suggested the hearing resume at 3pm.
Gan then said the court hearing will resume at 3pm and adjourn at 4.30pm: “If in between, Tun needs a break, please feel free to inform me, we will take a short break in between, otherwise we resume proceedings at 3pm and stop at 4.30pm.”
Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, who herself turned 98 last month, was also at the court hearing.
Throughout the court hearing this morning, Dr Mahathir answered clearly and firmly to questions and insisted that Zahid had allegedly lied and defamed him by implying that his name was “Mahathir anak lelaki Iskandar Kutty”.
Dr Mahathir insisted however that he is a Malay and Muslim since birth and that he has only been known by the name of “Mahathir bin Mohamad” since birth.
More than a decade ago, Dr Mahathir had testified in the High Court here as a defence witness for former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik’s trial over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project. Dr Ling was in 2013 acquitted of charges of cheating the Cabinet in relation to the PKFZ project.
