KUALA LUMPUR: Segambut Member of Parliament Hannah Yeoh told the High Court here today that her book, titled ‘Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey’, has been printed 18 times and was never banned by the Home Ministry.
Hannah said this is because the book is an autobiography about her life, including personal experiences that clearly highlight her involvement in politics.
“On the pages of ‘Becoming Hannah’, it is explicitly stated that it is a personal experience or personal journey. This book has been reprinted many times over the years and was never banned by the Home Ministry.
“The defendant’s (Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) lecturer, Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff) posts were clearly published with the intent to offend, insult, and defame me by portraying me as a politician attempting to spread Christianity through my career in politics,” she said.
Hannah, who is the Minister of Youth and Sports, said this in her witness statement before Judge Datuk Aliza Sulaiman during the hearing of her defamation lawsuit against Kamarul Zaman over his two Facebook posts made in May 2017.
Hannah said Kamarul Zaman’s attitude indicates that he cannot accept Hannah to have a right to practice her religion freely in this country.
“Therefore, the language and choice of words used by the defendant, including terms such as hypocrisy, preaching, using political position, calling fellow Christian members, preacher, persuading, influencing inciting, mission, and offence, are deliberately scandalous, controversial, criminal and unreasonable and inflammatory.
“The defendant has, time and time again, abused or misused his position to issue false and baseless allegations against DAP political leaders, including myself, albeit in his self-proclaimed capacity as a political analyst,” she said.
According to Hannah, there is no evidence that any Muslim has deviated from their faith by reading ‘Becoming Hannah’ as the book has also been endorsed by Muslim leaders in the country.
In the lawsuit filed in 2022, Hannah as a plaintiff claimed that Kamarul Zaman uploaded two Facebook posts between May 10 and May 17, 2017, in which he alleged that she had a motive to proselytise Christianity through her politics.
The lecturer also cited Hannah’s biography ‘Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey’ as driving a Christian agenda and claimed that she intends to convert Malaysia into a Christian country.
In his statement of defence, Kamarul Zaman said his two Facebook posts were not defamatory and were justified.
“As a lecturer and a Muslim, I have the duty to inform the people of the book’s contents as I feared they may be influenced by Christianity and as a political analyst, I have the right to comment on political issues in Malaysia,” he said.
The trial resumes on Jan 14, 2025.
