DAP lawmaker Ngeh Koo Ham today cited a court case between him and Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a bid to show that the latter lacked calibre.

Last year, Ismail was ordered to pay RM80,000 in damages and RM5,000 in costs to Ngeh for defamation.

"The opposition leader (Ismail) admitted that DAP leaders are not anti-Islam and anti-Malay.

"He admitted slandering me as anti-Malay and anti-Islam," the Beruas MP told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Ngeh said this admission prevented his defamation suit from going to full trial.

"I called for this press conference to show he is not a person with credibility. He never learns from his mistakes. This person who paid me RM80,000 (compensation) is unrepentant," he added.

Read more: Ismail Sabri refuses to apologise for 'jihad against Harapan'

Based on this, Ngeh said, Ismail saying that the Umno-PAS alliance was waging "jihad" against the Pakatan Harapan government is merely an attempt to spook Malay-Muslims.

The Umno leader had also accused the Harapan government of being anti-Islam and anti-Malay in his speech at an event last Sunday.

Ismail has since refused to apologise for his remark, and explained that he used the term "jihad" – often interpreted as a holy war – in the context of struggle.

Ngeh's defamation suit stemmed from Ismail taking to Facebook on Feb 1, 2015, to accuse him of having an interest in the Old Town White Coffee chain.

Ismail alleged that Old Town White Coffee's halal certification was suspect, and that Ngeh was anti-Islam.

Ismail was the agriculture and agro-based industries minister at the time, and was urging Malays to shun Chinese businesses to compel them to lower prices.