Malaysia
Dr Mahathir offers to be court witness in Gombak voters’ lawsuit against Azmin
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks to reporters during a press conference at Yayasan Al Bukhary in Kuala Lumpur August 7, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Ahmad Zamzahurinn

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has offered to be called as a witness, if needed, for a case involving a group of Gombak constituents who are suing their MP, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali. 

This was in response to the suit filed by the 10 constituents against Azmin for allegedly going against his parliamentarian oath to put the people’s interests first, and for dishonouring promises he made while on the GE14 campaign trail. 

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Dr Mahathir, who through a statement today lauded the suit against Azmin, added how the courts as prompted by the constituents are the best available forum to establish the validity of accusations and claims presented by plaintiffs. 

"I am ready to offer myself as a witness in court if my statements are needed. 

"I am ready to help,” he wrote in a statement today. 

The nonagenarian also pointed out how the suit being initiated by the voters was indicative of how local politics and constituents have matured. 

"I see the courage shown by the people in questioning the credibility and integrity of members of Parliament such as Datuk Seri Azmin as a process of the country’s maturing democracy,” he wrote. 

It was reported yesterday that the suit had been filed in the High Court here, where the voters claimed they were deceived by Azmin during the GE14 campaign in order to gain their votes. 

The group then accused Azmin of subsequently breaching his fiduciary obligations and duties towards them after they had entrusted him to be their elected representative.

Among the demands contained within their statement of claim, include demanding a declaration that Azmin as an MP owes a fiduciary duty or is a trustee due to his relationship with the Gombak voters, as well as declarations that he has breached his representations to Gombak voters and that he has breached his fiduciary obligations and duties owed to the 10 voters.

In elaborating on the contents of the suit, Dr Mahathir wrote how the series of events which led to the collapse of Pakatan Harapan, as narrated through the court documents, seemed accurate to him.

Among the incidents, he said that were correctly narrated, included his absence from the now-infamous meeting at the Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel on February 23, a day before he resigned as prime minister, and how Azmin was always in cahoots with Barisan Nasional lawmakers, those still facing and those already charged for the crimes. 

"All of the supposed incidents described within this filed suit are topics which I myself have repeated many times,” he wrote. 

"An elected representative must understand that the people elected us as their representatives to stand up and speak in the Parliament and lead them, and not for their own benefit in hopes of getting prominent powerful positions,” he added. 

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