Mujahid’s lawyer Noorazmil Zakaria said judge Zulqarain Hassan wanted the parties to explore the possibility of settling the suit out of court.

“Both parties will look into the proposal and will return on Sept 7 to update the judge on the outcome,” he told FMT.

The trial was scheduled to begin via virtual proceedings today with Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh slated to give evidence as witness for the plaintiff, Mujahid.

Mujahid, the former minister in charge of religious affairs, filed the suit on Aug 12, 2020 and named Harakah reporter Aziz Muda, editor-in-chief Wan Nordin Wan Yaacob and Galeri Media Serbanika Sdn Bhd, operator of the online portal harakahdaily.net and the newspaper’s printer, Percetakan Turbo (M) Sdn Bhd, as defendants.

He alleged that defamatory words against him were published in an article entitled “Sajat: Mujahid dan K’jaan PH patut dipersalahkan” and another one entitled “Keterlanjuran Sajat kesilapan Mujahid dan kerajaan PH” published in Harakah between Feb 10-13 last year.

Mujahid, who is the MP for Parit Buntar, is seeking a public apology, a retraction of the articles, and damages.

The defendants, in their defence, said Mujahid should not be offended by the criticisms hurled at him by the public, especially the media practitioners, in connection with the issue.

The defendants said they never had any malicious intent against the former minister in the publication of the article as it was based on fair comment.

“The defendants asserted that they were under political, moral and social obligations to disseminate the different views of the people pertaining to the issue as it also involved the concepts of Rahmatan Lil Alamin (Mercy to all creations) and Amar Makruf Nahi Mungkar (enjoining good and preventing evil),” said the defendants, represented by lawyer Yusfarizal Yussoff.