Dr M Launched Several Political Attacks To Disrupt Najib’s Leadership – Tengku Sariffuddin

(Bernama) – The press secretary to the prime minister Datuk Seri Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad told the High Court here that there were several political attacks launched by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to disrupt Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s leadership.

Tengku Sariffuddin, who resumed his testimony today, said Dr Mahathir had also used several issues, including the financial aid to Proton, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and his son Datuk Seri Mukhriz’s defeat in the contest for UMNO vice-president’s post in 2013, to attack the prime minister.

“The attacks continued after the political ties turned ugly between Dr Mahathir, who is also former prime minister, and the prime minister, which led to political fight,” he said during cross-examination by lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla, who represented Mukhriz, in the hearing of a lawsuit filed by the former Kedah Menteri Besar against him on the allegations of issuing two defamatory statements in April 2016.

Tengku Sariffuddin, 56, as the defendant in the suit, said the political attacks by Dr Mahathir were discovered by the research team at the Media Division at the Prime Minister’s Office following their surveys and feedback received.

Tengku Sariffuddin, who has been Najib’s press secretary for 27 years, said the issue of 1MDB was not only raised Dr Mahathir, but also by Mukhriz, former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, with the same purpose of attacking the prime minister.

The press secretary, however, disagreed with Mohamed Haniff’s suggestion that he had issued the two allegedly defamatory statements in 2016 to question Mukhriz’s credibility.

Tengku Sariffuddin, represented by lawyer Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos, will resume his testimony when the hearing before Judge Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim continues on July 16.

Mukhriz, as the plaintiff, filed the lawsuit on May 3, 2016, claiming that Tengku Sariffuddin had issued two defamatory statements against him in April 2016.

He claimed that the defamatory statements implied that Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin were plotting in an evil campaign to bring down the lawfully elected government and the plaintiff was still directly involved in a plot by Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin.