After Sabahans’ lawsuit struck out, Hadi’s lawyer says attempt to portray PAS president as religious zealot against Christianity failed
KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — The High Court’s decision to strike out a lawsuit by two Sabahans against PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang would mean that an alleged attempt to smear his reputation has failed, his lawyer said today.
Hadi’s lawyer Yusfarizal Yusoff said the legal team welcomes and applauds the High Court’s decision today, which he said was “without a doubt well-reasoned”.
“Alhamdulillah, the attempt to smear the reputation of Tuan Guru by portraying himself to be a religious zealot against Christianity particularly the Christian community in Malaysia has failed,” he told reporters in a brief written comment, referring to Hadi as Tuan Guru.
Yusfarizal also argued that the two Sabahans had filed the lawsuit for political mileage.
“Not only that this suit was filed for political mileage, it has also abused the process of the court by urging the court to disregard the fundamental doctrine of separation of power by demanding the court to impose the wishes of the plaintiffs on the executive’s discretionary powers in executive appointments.
“The plaintiffs had also sought to usurp the powers of the office of the AG in seeking a criminal conviction against Tuan Guru in a civil court which is against the fabric of our democratic ideal,” he argued in his brief comment.
Earlier today, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur had allowed Hadi to strike out the lawsuit by the two Sabahans who had sought to declare him as unfit for any government posts over his alleged seditious remark in 2016.
On December 9, 2020, two Christian Sabahan men — Maklin Masiau and Lawrence Jomiji Kinsil @ Maximilhian — filed the lawsuit against Hadi as a public interest case.
In their lawsuit filed via an originating summons, the two Sabahans claimed that Hadi had made a seditious statement in PAS newspaper Harakah against Christians and Christian missionaries on January 18, 2016, and said they had filed the lawsuit as the public prosecutor had not charged Hadi for these remarks after four years.
In the lawsuit, the two Sabahans were seeking two specific court orders, namely a declaration that Hadi had committed a seditious act in breach of Section 3 of the Sedition Act and a declaration that Hadi is not fit to hold any position in the Malaysian government, including a position equivalent to a ministerial position.
On April 12, 2020, Hadi was appointed as the prime minister’s special envoy to the Middle East, which is a position that carries a status equivalent to a minister.
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