‘Kutty' row ends as Dr Mahathir, Zahid withdraw legal actions against each other
Dr Mahathir, 100, withdrew his suit against Ahmad Zahid, 73, over allegedly defamatory remarks related to the 'kutty' issue, without the right to refile the case.
In return, Ahmad Zahid withdrew his suit accusing Dr Mahathir of abusing his position to interfere in his ongoing court case. He also dropped contempt of court proceedings related to a press conference held by Dr Mahathir at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex lobby on Dec 5 last year.
Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong allowed both applications and ordered the cases to be resolved without any order as to costs.
Dr Mahathir had initially filed the suit over remarks allegedly made by Ahmad Zahid during the Kelana Jaya UMNO Division meeting on July 30, 2017, which were later published by several news portals.
The contempt proceedings were related to Dr Mahathir's press conference, during which he displayed documents including his identity card after testifying in the suit against Ahmad Zahid. — Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
4 hours ago
- Daily Express
MP questions rejection of hike in special grant
Kota Kinabalu: Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Fong Hin took the Federal Government to task for the manner in which Sabah appears to be sidelined in terms of revenue allocation. He said the 'Keluarga Malaysia' slogan is useless if the plantation sector feels victimised, the tourism sector feels marginalised, the unemployed feel left out and the people of Sabah are not given increase in special grants provided in the Malaysian Constitution.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
GRS treating state resources as personal property, says Sabah Umno
KOTA KINABALU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government is facing mounting criticism over the alleged secretive issuance of mineral mining licences and attempts to distort the state's oil and gas history. Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir (pic) said public trust had been betrayed, warning that Sabah's resources were being managed 'like a family inheritance' rather than state assets belonging to the people. 'The people's trust is the highest principle in any democracy. Unfortunately, under the current GRS administration, that trust has been blatantly betrayed by political greed,' said Suhaimi, who is also the Libaran MP, in a statement on Tuesday (July 22). He took issue with recent remarks that Sabah's oil and gas sector only began developing after the establishment of SMJ Energy (SMJE) in 2021, pointing out that the RM54bil Sabah Integrated Oil and Gas Project (SIOGP) was launched in 2014 under the Barisan Nasional administration. 'GRS leaders are attempting to rewrite history,' he said. Suhaimi also questioned whether the much-publicised investments into Sabah were truly benefitting ordinary Sabahans or merely enriching political cronies. 'GRS often boasts about multi-billion ringgit investments into Sabah, but the people deserve to know: how much of that truly goes to companies owned by genuine Sabahans?' he said. He said it was unacceptable that the state government remained silent on basic public demands such as clean water, better roads, and stable electricity — yet was swift and quiet when it came to awarding mining licences. 'When it comes to mining licences, the government suddenly becomes swift, rushed, and silent. Is this the real priority of GRS?' he asked. 'Sabah is not the private estate of politicians. It is the people's property.' Suhaimi said Sabah was now in the midst of a leadership crisis, adding that true leaders would not trade the state's land and dignity for political survival. 'The people of Sabah deserve to know who profits and who approved it, because this state is not a personal fiefdom to be controlled by political elites,' he said. 'Do not ever sell out Sabah for personal gain,' he added.
Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Ombudsman Malaysia to replace whistleblower committee
Deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran said whistleblowers' identities could be protected if disclosures on misconduct were made through the proper channels. KUALA LUMPUR : The government will replace the current whistleblower protection committee with the soon-to-be-established Ombudsman Malaysia, which will have wider powers and clearer reporting mechanisms, the Dewan Rakyat was told. Deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran said the current committee was merely a stop-gap measure. 'It is temporary until Ombudsman Malaysia is set up,' he said in winding-up the debate on the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today. Earlier today, opposition and government MPs called for better amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, warning that the current draft lacked teeth and could enable political interference. Some MPs had also questioned the appointment of the members to this committee. Kulasegaran said Ombudsman Malaysia would take over the role of the committee with additional powers, including receiving complaints from whistleblowers involving misconduct. 'SOPs including timelines and relevant aspects will be detailed during the setting up of Ombudsman Malaysia.' Kulasegaran added that the main objective of the Whistleblower Protection Act remained unchanged – which was to protect whistleblowers. But he said protection could only be granted if the disclosure was made to an enforcement agency, as stipulated in the Act. 'If the information is not channelled to an enforcement agency, the individual will not be classified as a whistleblower.' Kulasegaran stressed that the government was confident whistleblowers' identities could be protected if disclosures were made through the proper channels. 'However, if the disclosure is made to the media or the public, it will be difficult to offer protection. The information may be widely shared.' He further said the government was looking at ways to improve the reporting mechanisms, including allowing disclosures to parties other than enforcement agencies to encourage more people to come forward. The bill was later passed by the Dewan Rakyat.
