KUALA LUMPUR – Speculations about ulterior motives behind Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision to halt their legal battle appear unfounded, according to political analysts.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan suggested that the duo likely reached a mutual understanding, considering the protracted legal process awaiting Zahid’s defamation suit against Muhyiddin.
“Like most of us, both of these political veterans know very well that a defamation suit will take a very long time (to conclude).
“These kinds of legal cases don’t really benefit them anyway,” Azmi told Scoop.
Emphasising the inherent role of criticism in politics, Azmi noted that a court ruling in favour of one politician over the other is unlikely to impact their political standing significantly.
“Whoever is deemed right in the eyes of the court will not stand to gain any benefits politically.
“It’s part of political nature to accept and dish out criticism, but such rebukes should not be defamatory in nature.
“I think this is the signal both of them (Zahid and Muhyiddin) are giving to other politicians.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia cautioned against overanalysing the out-of-court settlement announced by both parties on April 26.
“(The decision) is a common solution for parties not wanting to prolong their case.
“I don’t think the decision has any bearing on relationships between the two parties,” he added when contacted by Scoop.
In a statement posted on their respective social media platforms last week, Zahid and Muhyiddin said that their decision to cease legal action was made due to several factors, including the people’s wellbeing.
“(We) also hope that this decision can be accepted and respected by all parties and not used as ammunition to undermine the people’s wellbeing and stability, as well as the public’s confidence in the judiciary,” the duo said in the statement.
Zahid filed a defamation suit against Muhyiddin on April 4, 2022, over the latter’s statement claiming that during his tenure as prime minister, Zahid had met him and asked him to intervene with his ongoing court cases.
In the suit, Zahid had initially sought an injunction against Muhyiddin, to stop him from repeating his claims deemed defamatory. He had also sought aggravated, general, and exemplary damages.
Zahid, 71, was charged in 2018 with several criminal breaches of trust and bribery involving two separate funds – Yayasan Akalbudi and a foreign visa system (VLN) contract.
After his trial began in 2019, he was discharged and granted a full acquittal of 40 bribery charges involving the VLN contract on September 23, 2022.
On September 4, 2023, he was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for 27 counts of money laundering. 12 criminal breach of trust charges and eight counts of bribery involving millions of Yayasan Akalbudi funds. – May 1, 2024