Hannah Yeoh files report over ‘biggest hypocrite’ article
(FMT) – I was sharing my journey and it was not easy. I was a nobody. But if you want to twist, you can take any angle to twist.
The Selangor assembly speaker says article by UUM lecturer, based on her book, ‘Becoming Hannah’, is defamatory in nature.
Selangor speaker Hannah Yeoh today lodged a police report against a lecturer over an essay she claims is defamatory in nature.
The essay — titled “Hannah Yeoh contoh hipokrasi terbesar DAP” (“Hannah Yeoh is the biggest hypocrite in DAP”) — by Kamarul Zaman Yusoff alleged that the Subang Jaya assemblyperson had mixed politics with her Christian faith.
Kamarul, who is a Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer, further alleged that this was so despite Yeoh’s party being at the forefront in championing secularism.
The article was later uploaded on his Facebook page.
In her report at the USJ police station, Yeoh alleged that 16 others, including news publications like Harakah Daily and Utusan Malaysia, as well as a number of blogs had carried the defamatory remarks.
She said she would let DAP legal bureau chief Gobind Singh Deo decide on the next course of action.
When questioned over the excerpts from her book Kamarul had cited to highlight his point, Yeoh said that the book “Becoming Hannah” was not political in nature.
“I’m very transparent, clear about my thoughts and personal journey (in the book). There are no political strategies inside.
“I was sharing my journey and it was not easy. I was a nobody. But if you want to twist, you can take any angle to twist.
“He quoted things like fundraising and getting money from Christians, and all that. I explained it in my political campaigns, people gave me donations, so I shared what happened,” she told FMT.
Present was Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen, who pointed out that she had never once preached Christianity in all the years he had known her.
“She doesn’t even pray before or after a speech. You’re picking on the wrong person.”
In a statement she issued much later, Yeoh said her book also recorded her personal journey as a young Malaysian and documented her marriage as well as her role as a wife and mother.
“This is why it is called ‘Becoming Hannah’ and not ‘Becoming DAP’ or ‘Becoming a Christian’.”
Yeoh reiterated DAP’s commitment to a secular state, as defined under the Federal Constitution, adding this was reflected by the fact that DAP’s membership was multi-ethnic and multi-religious.
DAP, she added, had a Malaysian agenda and not a Christian one.
