THE perceived moral victory from the recent Kuala Lumpur High Court decision to dismiss Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s defamation suit against former inspector-general of police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan has emboldened PAS Youth to rally behind a controversial Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) lecturer in a legal suit of similar nature.
The DAP lawmaker’s case against Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff over the same allegations made by Musa who accused her of Christian evangelism and attempting to convert Muslims is scheduled to take place on Jan 14, 16, and 17 at the KL High Court.
“This case is a proving ground for the PH-BN (Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional) government on the principles of freedom of expression, transparency of facts, and seriousness in defending the Federal Constitution and the rights of the Muslim community in this country,” claimed PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden in a statement.
“Kamarul’s statement is based on clear facts, including verbatim quotes from Yeoh’s autobiography (Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey) and her own statements.
“They’re not slander or reckless accusations but rather a factual analysis aimed at raising awareness of the subtle threat to Islam’s position as the religion of the Federation.”
Interestingly, Kamarul Zaman who was dubbed “Prof Kangkung” by his detractors had on Jan 30 last year withdrew his own defamation suit against the Segambut MP with a cost of RM5,000 without the freedom to file afresh.
In 2020, it was reported that Kamarul Zaman had sued Yeoh over a FB post during the Sabah election whereby he himself had posted a banner featuring Yeoh’s image with the wordings “Peranan Umat Kristian Dalam Pembangunan Negara” (The Role of Christians in Nation-Building).
In fact, Kamarul Zaman who rose to fame as a political analyst had in a recent FB post argued his innocence by stating that he was only making logical conclusion based on existing facts, only for Yeoh to sue him five years after he issued his statement because Musa had cited him as his main source of reference in his (Musa) defence.
For context, Yeoh had earlier filed a defamatory suit against the former top cop over a statement that he issued during a forum organised by the UiTM Council of Rulers Institute Chair on Jan 30, 2020.
“I’m pleased that the High Court judge in Musa’s case agreed with my reasonable conclusion when he stated in his summary judgment that:
“Evidence shows admissions by plaintiff (Yeoh) that she preaches Christianity subtly in Malaysia; that she returned as “God’s ambassador”; that she wanted to preach through her political (offices); and that her book was intended for everyone, not just Christians.”
Whatever the case is, perhaps PAS Youth and Kamarul Zaman better don’t count their chicken before they hatch.
This is given that not only had Yeoh instructed her lawyers to apply for an appeal to be heard on an urgent basis but she had also been advised by her lawyers that “there are no full written grounds of judgment issued by the High Court yet”.
“There are only brief grounds listed in writing via a court e-review system on Dec 23, 2024,” she justified. “It is hence inappropriate at this juncture to draw conclusions on what the High Court had decided in totality and its reasoning.” – Jan 1, 2025
Main image credit: Kamarul Yusoff/Facebook
