Kuala Lumpur: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has filed a lawsuit against comedian and actor Harith Iskander, alleging she was defamed and subjected to body shaming during a stand-up comedy performance at a hotel in Melaka last January.
Rosmah, 74, filed the suit through Messrs Hafarizam & Aisha Mubarak at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on June 9, naming Harith Iskander Musa, 60, as the defendant.
According to Rosmah’s statement of claim, Harith performed a stand-up show titled Harith Iskander: The Outspoken Comedy Tour on Jan 17, during which he allegedly displayed Rosmah's image and made defamatory remarks before a large audience for comedic effect.
Rosmah claimed Harith first showed an image of a mythical supernatural creature commonly associated with Malaysian folklore before displaying her photograph.
She alleged that Harith told the audience that anyone looking into their rear-view mirror while driving along a dark road would see something frightening before showing her image, implying that she was the frightening figure being referred to.
Rosmah contended that the remarks suggested she was more frightening than a supernatural creature, someone capable of instilling fear in the public, and a person deserving of ridicule and humiliation.
She also claimed that two recordings of the performance were uploaded to TikTok by a user identified as @mayychan0303. One video received about 219,700 views and 3,354 likes, while the second attracted around 12,500 views and 145 likes.
Rosmah alleged that the statements were made maliciously to damage her reputation and humiliate her through body-shaming remarks.
“The alleged defamation had tarnished my dignity and public standing as the wife of Malaysia's sixth prime minister, patron of several charitable organisations and associations, and a recipient of various domestic and international honours,” she said.
Rosmah is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as an injunction to restrain Harith or his representatives from republishing the alleged defamatory statements. She is also seeking a written apology and retraction, to be published in two mainstream newspapers and on social media platforms approved by her or her solicitors.
Meanwhile, in his statement of defence filed on July 9, Harith denied that the performance portrayed Rosmah as a supernatural creature, frightening, evil, ugly, repulsive, inhumane or carried any of the defamatory meanings alleged.
He further argued that the TikTok videos were uploaded without his knowledge or consent and did not reflect the full context of the comedy performance.
Rosmah's counsel, Mohamed Baharudeen Mohamed Ariff and Nur-Diana Ezlyn Hashim, confirmed the lawsuit when contacted on Monday, adding that the next case management has been scheduled online for July 31.
Harith's lawyer, Sangeet Kaur Deo, also confirmed the matter.
