Religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar has threatened to file a RM10 million lawsuit against a Facebook user who allegedly made defamatory claims about the closure of pondok schools in Kelantan and Kedah.
In a letter of demand issued by law firm Akberdin & Co to Hafiz Sahidi, Na’im’s lawyers said the social media post accusing the minister of ordering the closure of unregistered pondok schools was false, malicious and defamatory.
The letter demanded that Hafiz retract the statement, admit his wrongdoing, and issue a public apology across all his social media accounts and websites for a period of 30 days. He has also been asked to offer a reasonable settlement sum to compensate for the damage, embarrassment and humiliation caused.
Failure to comply would result in legal action seeking RM10 million in damages and an injunction barring him from publishing any further defamatory statements against the minister.
In his post, Hafiz had reportedly criticised Na’im for allegedly closing pondok schools while ignoring serious issues in national schools, such as rape, murder, bullying, and alcohol consumption.
Na’im’s lawyers said Hafiz’s post portrayed the minister as incompetent, unfit for office, and indifferent to moral and criminal misconduct in schools.
They added that the post also implied Na’im had acted against Islamic values and betrayed public trust, thus eroding confidence in the religious affairs ministry and the federal government.
“The defamatory statement is wholly untrue, baseless, and constitutes a gross defamation of our client’s character, integrity, and reputation, both in his personal and official capacities,” the letter stated.
“Your actions amount to a deliberate and malicious attack intended to undermine public confidence in our client and to expose him to public ridicule and contempt.”
Checks by FMT found that the Facebook post has since been removed.
On Oct 24, Bernama reported that Na’im denied claims circulating online that the federal government or departments under his purview had ordered the closure of unregistered pondok schools in Kelantan and Kedah.
He described the allegation as false, malicious, and defamatory, stressing that no such directive had been issued.
