KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 26): Two-time former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the court that he was born a Malay Muslim but has paternal roots which can be traced back to Kerala, India. 

The 99 year-old, who served as the fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and 2018 to early 2020, took the stand on Monday in his defamation suit against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over the Ahmad Zahid’s comments on Mahathir’s ancestry. 

“The defendant’s statements indicate that I was not born a Malay [or] Muslim, and that my birth name was ‘Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty’. But this is absolutely false. 

“My name is Mahathir Mohamad and I have been a Malay Muslim since birth and this is apparent from my identification card (IC), and my old and new birth certificates. 

“My father’s name was Mohamad Iskandar and my mother’s name was Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi. My father was from Penang, and was a Malay wherein I have ancestry from Southern India - the state of Kerala. 

“My mother was from Kedah and [my parents] were both ‘pure’ Malay,” he said on the stand, referring to the documents which were tendered to the court. 

Mahathir, who looked alert and was lucid throughout his time on the stand, said that no one had ever referred to him by that name except for Zahid in his defamatory statements.  

The former Langkawi member of parliament (MP) said that Ahmad Zahid’s statements insinuated that Mahathir claimed to be a Malay when he became prime minister to gain political and personal gain, and that he had a skewed view about the Indian community.

The statements, Mahathir claimed, suggested that he was a liar, a person who could not be trusted, and was unfit to be a leader.

Mahathir said Ahmad Zahid’s statements were made in 2017 but the suit was initiated in 2022, as Mahathir claimed the statements were personal, aimed at shaking his reputation in the political arena. He said the Umno chief (Ahmad Zahid) refused to apologise despite several chances given to him to do so. 

In this trial, Mahathir is represented by Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi and Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, while Ahmad Zahid is represented by Mohd Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman.

Mahathir is seeking general, exemplary and aggravated damages from Ahmad Zahid, and an injunction barring Ahmad Zahid or his agents from repeating such claims.

The trial before Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong continues.  

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