KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is expected to take legal action against Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria, who recently claimed that the DAP leader was related to the Yeoh family of the YTL Corporation Bhd conglomerate.
The legal action from Yeoh followed Razman’s apology yesterday for claiming during a speech at an event in Perak recently that the Segambut MP was the “daughter of a rich man” and a “daughter of YTL.”
The Gunong Semanggol assemblyman also reportedly claimed that the speech video was edited.
In a post on X, Yeoh said that the PAS leader had made several defamatory remarks against her for over a minute in the speech.
“Wait for a letter from my lawyer. Slander should not be normalised, especially by those who are religious,” she said.
Yeoh had slammed Razman for his remarks yesterday, where she pointed out to him that “not all ‘Yeohs’ are related”.
The PAS leader, while having apologised for his “mistake” also blamed the media coverage of his speech, where he accused the press of “deliberately focusing” on the 10-second part which referenced the minister.
Razman’s action has drawn condemnation from various parties, such as Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan who said that it is hard for him to believe Razman’s claim of video editing, given the latter’s reputation as a “serial defamer” who has been sued several times in the past for defamation by several quarters – notably Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung said that the PAS leader’s apology was insincere as he did not take the opportunity to reflect on his mistakes and instead pinning the blame on the press.
Razman’s gaffe was likened to the defamation case which involved his party colleague – Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad – who said that DAP veterans Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng were linked to the late Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng.
Siti Mastura had also claimed Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was a cousin of Guan Eng’s wife, Betty Chew.
She was sued by the trio last year, where last week she paid a total of RM830,034.75 in damages following an order by the high court in Penang, pending her appeal. – January 28, 2025