Defamation appeal: Yeoh to file police report on malicious messages

Summary

• Hannah Yeoh will lodge a police report against malicious videos and messages falsely claiming she aims to convert Muslims to Christianity and turn Malaysia into a Christian nation.

• The High Court previously dismissed Yeoh’s defamation suit against former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan, but she is appealing to the Court of Appeal.

• The High Court ruled Musa’s statements were made on a privileged occasion with no proven malice, highlighting the constitutional protection of freedom of expression in matters of public interest.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh will lodge a police report regarding malicious videos and messages circulating following the recent dismissal of her defamation suit against former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan.

Yeoh stated that she has become aware of WhatsApp messages and videos politicising the court’s findings, which falsely suggest that she aimed to convert Muslims to Christianity and transform Malaysia into a Christian nation.

“Nothing can be further from the truth. I respect and uphold the Federal Constitution and the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation.

“There are clear legal restrictions against propagating religions other than Islam to Muslims in Malaysia. I took my oath of office and swore to uphold the Federal Constitution. It is an oath I take seriously and will abide by at all times.

“A police report will be lodged on the malicious videos/messages that compromise my appeal.”

Yeoh confirmed that her lawyers filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal on Dec 26 and were instructed to apply for the appeal to be heard on an urgent basis.

“I am advised by my 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. It is hence inappropriate at this juncture to draw conclusions on what the High Court had decided in totality and its reasoning.”

She urged all parties to respect the judicial process and refrain from actions that transgress the law or undermine her rights before the court.

“As has occurred many times in my political career, my faith has again become political fodder for religious extremists. I urge all parties to stand firm against these attempts and not spread the messages when they see them online.”

Defamation suit

The youth and sports minister filed a defamation suit against Musa over statements he made during a forum at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) on Jan 30, 2020.

In her claim, Yeoh alleged that Musa, in his speech, accused her of writing her book “Becoming Hannah” to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation, of having ties with evangelists and Jews to undermine Islam and Malaysia, and of prioritising her personal interests over the nation’s.

She contended that Musa’s statements were false, baseless, and made with malicious intent to tarnish her reputation.

However, in dismissing Yeoh’s suit, Kuala Lumpur High Court judicial commissioner Arziah Mohamed Apandi ruled that the plaintiff had failed to prove that the defendant’s statements were defamatory.

“I find that in this case, the occasion (where the forum was held) to be privileged, no malice was proven and that the defendant had reasonable grounds for his statements based on the plaintiff’s admissions and writings (in her book ‘Becoming Hannah’) and the publication (of the defendant's statements) was beyond his control,” she said.

Arziah further stated that the constitutional right to freedom of expression must be robustly protected, particularly in matters of public interest and statements made on privileged occasions.

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