Mahathir Mohamad hospitalised again

Former Malaysia prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, 98, has been admitted to a hospital again, his office said.

Due to his hospitalization, the ex-premier of more than two decades missed a court hearing on Tuesday (February 13).

The nonagenarian has been in and out of hospital in recent years. He has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgeries.

Mahathir had been scheduled to attend a court proceeding relating to his lawsuit against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for allegedly making defamatory statements questioning the former leader’s racial origins.

The judge postponed the hearing to July 19 after Mahathir’s lawyer told the court that his client had been admitted to the National Heart Institute since January 26.

Ahmad Zahid’s lawyer suggested that the trial begin in October, but the judge rejected the proposal and asked for earlier dates to be fixed.

“We can vacate other cases to accommodate this trial. Most probably, Tun Mahathir is one of the oldest plaintiffs in this court,” said Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong.

Mahathir served as prime minister for 22 years until 2003.

He returned as premier in 2018 after leading the opposition coalition to a historic win, but his government collapsed in less than two years due to infighting.

The defamation suit was filed in July 2022, with Mahathir accusing Ahmad Zahid of slandering him during an UMNO divisional meeting.

In his statement of claim, Mahathir alleged that Ahmad Zahid’s comments were meant to imply that he was not born a Malay or a Muslim and that his original name was Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty.

(With inputs from agencies)