Walk the talk, lawyers tell Hannah Yeoh over use of govt assets to attend defamation trial

Two lawyers have questioned the rationale given by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh for the use of government assets to attend the trial of her defamation suit against lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff.

Haniff Khatri Abdulla said Yeoh’s reasoning did not make sense and showed a lack of consistency.

He said Yeoh’s suit against the Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer was made in her personal capacity.

“Yeoh sued him, not the other way around. She sued him in her personal capacity because she said he tarnished her name.

“If the excuse she gives is that she used her official car and bodyguards because Kamarul’s claims were linked to her work as a minister, that doesn’t make sense at all,” he said to MalaysiaNow.

Haniff added that based on his understanding of the case, Kamarul had commented on Yeoh’s book, “Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey”, which stated her intention to spread the teachings of Christianity.

“When she entered the political arena, according to the book as Kamarul understood it, she wanted to use her political post to spread Christianity.

“Kamarul did not say anything specifically about Yeoh’s status as a minister, only her personal desire to use her political position to proselytise. These are two different things.”

Haniff said the use of government assets such as official cars and bodyguards was never a legal issue as ministers are provided with such facilities at all times.

He said the question at hand was the morality of a minister in using these facilities outside the scope of his or her official duties.

“She said she goes to court on and off, but does that justify the matter from a moral standpoint?”

He said Pakatan Harapan leaders who frequently remind politicians to set a good example by not misusing government assets should lead by example.

“From a moral perspective, you must walk your talk.”

‘Who gets the compensation?’

Sasha Lyna Abdul Latiff, a lawyer from Bersatu, said Yeoh’s defence that the defamation case was related to her duty as a minister was wrong and misleading.

She said Yeoh, who was once a legal practitioner, should pay more attention to the matter before making justifications that attempted to involve her ministry in her personal affairs.

“If Yeoh wins this case, she will be compensated in her personal capacity,” she said.

“If she loses, she will bear all the costs which have nothing to do with her ministry.”

Yeoh, in denying any misuse of government assets, had also said that her work as a minister was not disturbed by her attending the court proceedings.

“It is not an issue. I can go in and out of court and still attend meetings and appointments, and I still go to Parliament,” she said.

Yeoh sued Kamarul for defamation over two Facebook posts made in 2017 in which he accused her of trying to spread Christianity through her political career.

Kamarul had cited her book, “Becoming Hannah”, which was the subject matter of another lawsuit as well against former top cop Musa Hassan.