SHAH ALAM – Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad expressed frustration at the High Court here on Thursday after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer prohibited him from commenting during questioning.
The 100-year-old former Langkawi MP mede the remark when he was instructed to respond to questions with only “agree” or “disagree”.
“Anwar’s lawyer prohibited me from commenting on the questions they asked and only told me to answer whether I agreed or disagreed.
“Not only that, the questions asked were irrelevant to this defamation case, so I might die before this case is settled,” he said.
At that point, lawyer Ranjit Singh, representing Anwar, had questioned him about Pejuang’s heavy losses during the Johor by-election and the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022.
Dr Mahathir, who also served as Pejuang’s former chairman, said the focus should be on the alleged defamatory statements made by the Tambun Member of Parliament against him, not on unrelated political matters.
He said that Anwar’s legal team had asked personal questions about whether he was a good or bad person, while the real issue was the Prime Minister’s accusation that he had stolen money, evaded taxes, channelled funds overseas and enriched his family and cronies.
“The questions Ranjit raised might take 10 to 15 years to complete.
“I do not have that much time, My Lord, because I am already 100 years old. I cannot possibly answer all these questions,” he said.
Dr Mahathir lightened the atmosphere when Anwar’s other lawyer, Razlan Hadri Zulkifli, indicated that they intended to continue questioning him in the next session.
He joked that at this rate, he would end up living until the age of 200.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Donald Joseph Franklin postponed the hearing to next Wednesday.
Dr Mahathir had filed the defamation suit on May 3, 2023, seeking RM150 million in damages over Anwar’s speech at the Malaysia Madani Special National Congress two years ago.
He claimed that Anwar’s statements falsely portrayed him as a corrupt leader who enriched his family and gave special treatment to powerful individuals, damaging his reputation as a respected statesman and former Prime Minister.
In response, Anwar argued in his defence that the lawsuit was politically motivated, intended to undermine his credibility and sow racial division ahead of the state elections.
He also highlighted Mahathir’s alleged conflict of interest involving Opcom Sdn Bhd, where his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz, once served as director.