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LettersMalaysian election: why Anwar’s defamation lawsuit is in public interest
- Readers discuss the merits of the Malaysian prime minister’s defamation lawsuit, and why Australia must reject US bloodlust
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on December 20 filed a lawsuit against former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin for defamation over remarks made in an election campaign speech on December 5. Anwar said the remarks were untrue, malicious and aimed at cheap publicity.
He alleged that excerpts from that speech were published by the TikTok account @beritakini8 and viewed 1.1 million times, receiving more than 6,000 comments and 21,000 likes. Anwar said Muhyiddin published a video of the entire speech on Facebook which garnered more than 42,000 views as of December 20.
The opposition is up in arms, calling Anwar’s legal action against Muhyiddin an attempt to silence critics, but Anwar filed the suit in his personal capacity. Even if he had filed the suit in his official capacity, his reputation – whether personal or official – is deserving of protection.
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