Mahathir admitted to heart institute due to lung infection, defamation trial postponed

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to the National Heart Institute for a respiratory infection, his office said on Oct 16 after he missed a court hearing in a defamation case he has lodged against Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi.

The 99-year-old was on the witness stand on Oct 14, and was due to appear in court again on Oct 16 and 17.

But when proceedings began on Oct 16, Tun Dr Mahathir's lawyer told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the two-time former premier has been given a 12-day medical leave from Oct 14 to Oct 25, reported New Straits Times.

In a letter to the court, cardiologist Hisham Md Shahrom said Dr Mahathir requires in-patient treatment for symptomatic relief and chest physiotherapy.

Datuk Seri Zahid's lawyer did not object to the deferment of the trial, as he agreed that Dr Mahathir looked unwell on Oct 14, reported New Straits Times.

The defamation trial will continue on Oct 29 instead.

According to the statement of claim filed on July 20, 2022, Dr Mahathir alleged that Mr Zahid, the president of Umno, made defamatory remarks against him during an Umno division meeting in Kelana Jaya on July 30, 2017.

The statement was reproduced on Astro Awani's YouTube channel and several online news portals.

Dr Mahathir claimed that Mr Zahid was referring to him specifically when the latter talked about a certain "Mahathir, the son of Iskandar Kutty".

He had said the statement implied that he was not born a Malay or Muslim, and that he was an opportunist who claimed to be a Malay for the sake of political advantage.

The remarks also cast doubt on his credibility to lead the country and a party that prioritises Malays as a whole, he added.

On Oct 14, Dr Mahathir told the court that he considered Mr Zahid's remarks a "personal insult", reported The Star.

"I was less popular because of Ahmad Zahid's statement," he said.

In his statement of defence, Mr Zahid denied that his words were malicious and slanderous against Dr Mahathir.

Mr Zahid also filed a separate lawsuit against Dr Mahathir in April 2022 over the latter's comments that he had sought the latter's help to resolve criminal cases he was facing at that time. This trial has not started.

Dr Mahathir served as Malaysia's prime minister for 22 years from 1981 to 2003.

He also became the world's oldest premier when he made a 22-month post-retirement comeback in 2018, under the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

His government collapsed in less than two years due to infighting.

Copyrights: The Straits Times\ Asia News Network