'Only Zahid calls me Mahathir, son of Iskandar Kutty' - Tun M
'My father was named Mohamad bin Iskandar, while my mother was Wan Tempawan binti Wan Hanapi.'
KUALA LUMPUR - "My name is Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, not as alleged by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who claims ‘Mahathir, son of Iskandar Kutty’," said the former prime minister in the High Court here on Monday.
Dr Mahathir, who celebrated his 99th birthday last month, said this during proceedings for his lawsuit against Zahid, 71, before Judicial Commissioner (JC) Gan Techiong.
The former Langkawi MP said that during the Umno Division meeting in Kelana Jaya on 30 July 2017, Zahid, as the defendant, made the false and defamatory statement, which was later republished on Astro Awani's YouTube account.
In his witness statement, Dr Mahathir said his old and new identity cards and birth certificates showed that he had been Malay and a Muslim since birth.
"The defendant has defamed me; he is also a liar, as he knows my full name is Mahathir bin Mohamad.
"However, he openly lied before the public, stating Mahathir is the son of Kutty," he said.
When answering a question from his lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, Dr Mahathir said that from birth, throughout his time in university, and even as a doctor, he was never issued an identity card bearing the name 'Kutty'.
The former Bersatu leader said it was only when Zahid made the claim that the he possessed Mahathir's blue identity card and referred to him as 'Mahathir, son of Iskandar Kutty.'
"This is a lie by Zahid. My father was named Mohamad bin Iskandar, while my mother was Wan Tempawan binti Wan Hanapi.
"My father was a Malay from Penang and my ancestors had blood ties to Kerala, a southern state in India.
"My mother, on the other hand, was from Kedah and both were of pure Malay descent," he said.
Based on the statement of claim filed on 20 July 2022, Dr Mahathir alleged that Zahid made the defamatory statements against him during the Umno division meeting in Kelana Jaya on 30 July 2017.
Dr Mahathir believed that the individual referred to by the Bagan Datuk MP as the defendant, in the defamatory statement as 'that person,' 'he,' and 'Mahathir, son of Iskandar Kutty,' clearly referred specifically to him.
As a result, he said his position as a statesman and an influential political figure on the world stage had been viewed negatively.
Dr Mahathir also claimed that Zahid's defamatory remarks implicitly questioned and cast doubt on his credibility to lead the country and a party that prioritised the Malay community.
