Take time to read the political sections of serious foreign news websites and you’ll see something unusual from a Malaysian perspective.
In Britain, Australia or India, opposition politicians are not constantly threatening to sue each other.
They are not indignantly holding press conferences outside court houses; they are not waving a writ about for the cameras; and of course they do not mention magic figures they want as compensation that always seem to be nice round numbers.
RM10 million is what you claim if you are unambitious, but in the case of most PKR politicians, from Anwar on down, the magic number always seems to be RM100 million.
We see so much of this melodrama on the steps of our court houses that we have now become immune to it. We know that the amounts demanded are fantasy numbers and that most cases will not even be settled let alone reach a court room.
When there is a payout it is around RM200,000, if that.
But the fact that so many of these actions amount to nothing doesn’t mean that this opposition lawsuit addiction comes without cost.
In a matura parliamentary democracy, anywhere in the Commonwealth, opposition politicians do not make lawsuits a part of their normal political discourse. They just speak out on issues and policies, and if accused of something they deny it, or explain it. But not our opposition.
On Wednesday, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad spoke out strongly against the growing trend.
He said that the “suing spree” of Anwar Ibrahim was simply a way to get critics to shut their mouths. He said this was because “when a matter is referred to court it can no longer be discussed, otherwise it will be subjudice.”
Referring to Anwar, he said “he sued me, as you know, and for four years I could not open my mouth. So that is his way of campaigning; stop people from talking and yet he believes in freedom of speech and things like that.”
This makes good sense. But our leading lawsuit champions such as Lim Guan Eng and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim just love to sue.
Strange as it might sound, one of the side effects of making so many threats to sue is that when a litigious politician doesn’t resort to the civil courts, it too can raise questions about what they have been up to.
And why hasn’t Anwar taken action against Ummi Hafilda Ali, who has allegedly linked Anwar to “luxury bungalows and penthouses” across the country?
Perhaps it is time to heed Dr M’s advice and stop clogging the court system, if not the court rooms, with “frivolous” actions.
By doing this we will avoid a repeat of the present perverse situation where Anwar’s lack of a legal action has in itself become part of the story.
One more point needs to be made about our lawsuit addiction.
There is one politician who doesn’t resort to lawyers every time some says something defamatory.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is defamed so often it could keep an entire law firm busy.
But he ignores it. Either he has a thick skin or he knows there are more important things he could be doing with his time.
Like running the country, for instance.