Two men who used to be Selangor Menteri Besar but were removed from office – one for corruption, and another because his own party just couldn’t stand him anymore – buried the hatchet and settled their differences at the KL Sessions Court today.
Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo (Selangor MB from 2000 to 2008; corruption) and Khalid Ibrahim (MB from 2011 to 2014; own party couldn’t stand him anymore) ended two defamation lawsuits brought on by Khalid against Khir when the former MB from UMNO apologised to the former MB, formerly of PKR.
Khir read out his “sincere” apology in court, regarding the defamatory remarks he made about Khalid in 2009.
“For me, what’s important is friendship. I value friendship more than enmity,” Khir said, as qouted by The Malay Mail Online‘s Ida Lim.
“I think the action of apologising and forgiving is good, and I as the younger one should do it.”
So, just to be clear – Khir apologised to his new BFF because he’s the younger of the two, not because, you know, he did something wrong.
Khir also asserted that his earlier attacks on Khalid were not personal, and believes there is no longer any ill will between the two of them, as they were both “mature”.
“My statement was as Opposition Leader, my duty, no personal attack at all,” Khir said.
Khalid, who won this particular bout, was magnanimous in victory.
“We are Muslims. We settle our differences, we get God’s grace to do it. But the most important thing is we plan to go to meet the people in Ijok, Pelabuhan Klang and also Bandar Tun Razak to explain our position,” he said.
In the two lawsuits, Khalid claimed Khir had defamed him in two published news articles, one accusing the (now former) PKR MB of misappropriating state funds to purchase a swanky Lexus, and another accusing him of being a dishonest and unethical politcian.
Now that the lawsuits are over, we’re sure the two men can happily get back to living out their lives as former Menteri Besars of Selangor. All’s well that ends well.
Photo: The Malay Mail
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