Letters | Malaysian 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
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.
Lord Nicholls said in the English case of Reynolds vs Times Newspapers Limited and Others: “Reputation is an integral and important part of the dignity of the individual. It also forms the basis of many decisions in a democratic society which are fundamental to its well-being: whom to employ or work for, whom to promote, whom to do business with or to vote for.
“Once besmirched by an unfounded allegation … a reputation can be damaged forever, especially if there is no opportunity to vindicate one’s reputation. When this happens, society as well as the individual is the loser.
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