KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today showed several documents, including old identity cards of himself, his wife, and four children, as well as their original birth certificates, to prove his real name.
The former Prime Minister showed the documents during a press conference after giving testimony in a defamation lawsuit against Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the High Court today.
Among the documents that were shown were his identity card, the identity cards of his four children, their original birth certificates, and his birth registration documents.
He said that all copies of the identity cards were obtained from the National Registration Department (JPN).
"These are the real identity cards, not like the ones Ahmad Zahid showed on his mobile phone. The previous identity card had the owner's name on the back," he said.
"On a mobile phone, various images can be uploaded, and it cannot be accepted officially to verify its authenticity," he added.
Earlier, during court proceedings, Dr Mahathir, in response to a question from his lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, said that his busy schedule managing the country as Prime Minister was among the reasons why the lawsuit was not filed earlier.
"After becoming Prime Minister, I was busy with national affairs, not personal matters. Personal matters could be postponed, but national matters had to be prioritized.
"When Ahmad Zahid filed the lawsuit, I felt it was something that could not be ignored. Therefore, I also decided to sue Ahmad Zahid. I also understand that there is no time limit to file this lawsuit after the statement was made," he said.
Asked why legal action was only taken against Ahmad Zahid and not others who made similar statements, Dr Mahathir explained that Zahid's remarks had a greater impact because he was holding a high position as Deputy Prime Minister and Umno Deputy President at the time.
"Others did not hold high positions like Ahmad Zahid. When he made that statement, he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy President of UMNO, which provoked many reactions.
"Statements or writings by other individuals did not affect me if they were not important people. If that person was just selling peanuts, I wouldn't bother," he said.
On July 20, 2022, Dr Mahathir, 99, filed the lawsuit naming Ahmad Zahid, 71, as the defendant.
According to the statement of claim, Dr Mahathir alleges that the defendant made false, defamatory, and malicious statements directly referring to him. The statements were made during the UMNO Kelana Jaya Division Meeting on July 30, 2017.
Dr Mahathir believes that the individual referred to in the defamatory statement as "that person," "he," and "Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty" clearly referred to him.
He claims that Ahmad Zahid's malicious statement exposed him to public hatred and damaged his standing as a statesman and respected political figure internationally.
Dr Mahathir said the statement also implied that his credibility to lead the country and the party prioritising Malays was being questioned.
He stated that the statement painted him as a liar, untrustworthy, self-serving, unethical in holding public office, and unfit to be a leader.
Proceedings before Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong will continue this Monday.