'As a good Muslim, I don't lie' - Zuraida insists meetings held with Guan Eng
Farah Solhi
Published: Jan 6, 2026 4:44 PM
Updated: 8:58 PM
Former housing and local government minister Zuraida Kamaruddin has maintained today that she had two separate meetings with former finance minister Lim Guan Eng in 2018 and 2019 over a housing project for former plantation workers in Bestari Jaya.
Testifying in defence against Lim’s defamation suit, Zuraida told the Shah Alam High Court that she did not lie about the meetings where Lim had rejected her requests.
“There was a meeting. I’m not lying. Bismillahirahmannirahim, it is not a lie,” she said when grilled by Lim’s lawyer Sankara Nair during cross-examination.
Zuraida said that although no documentary evidence of the meetings was tendered in court, there was a WhatsApp conversation involving her, Lim, and the then housing and local government director-general Jayaselan Navaratnam, who she said was present during both meetings.
She said Lim did not agree to her request during the first meeting in October 2018.
At the time, she said, there was no new application for the project as it had already been approved by the previous government under former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and included in Budget 2018.
Subsequent meetings with Lim were meant to follow up on the project, she added.
‘Honour manifesto’
However, Zuraida said she had bumped into Lim’s then political secretary Tony Pua before one of the meetings, during which Pua allegedly told her that the project would not be approved.
“(During the meeting with Lim) he told me that if we wanted to pursue the project, we had to change the mechanism from direct award to open tender, which was part of the manifesto of the government at the time,” she told the court.
She said the land belonged to Berjaya Group and that she later met the landowner to convey the change in mechanism.
“They wrote a letter agreeing to it, which led us to the second meeting,” she added.
Zuraida said she later followed up via WhatsApp, where she told Lim that the government needed to honour its manifesto, however, Lim’s response to the project remained negative during the second meeting.
Yesterday, Lim told the court that he had no recollection of the meetings and could not confirm any WhatsApp conversation with Zuraida, although he acknowledged that the phone number shown belonged to him.
Published: Jan 6, 2026 4:44 PM
Updated: 8:58 PM
Former housing and local government minister Zuraida Kamaruddin has maintained today that she had two separate meetings with former finance minister Lim Guan Eng in 2018 and 2019 over a housing project for former plantation workers in Bestari Jaya.
Testifying in defence against Lim’s defamation suit, Zuraida told the Shah Alam High Court that she did not lie about the meetings where Lim had rejected her requests.
“There was a meeting. I’m not lying. Bismillahirahmannirahim, it is not a lie,” she said when grilled by Lim’s lawyer Sankara Nair during cross-examination.
Zuraida said that although no documentary evidence of the meetings was tendered in court, there was a WhatsApp conversation involving her, Lim, and the then housing and local government director-general Jayaselan Navaratnam, who she said was present during both meetings.
She said Lim did not agree to her request during the first meeting in October 2018.
At the time, she said, there was no new application for the project as it had already been approved by the previous government under former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and included in Budget 2018.
Subsequent meetings with Lim were meant to follow up on the project, she added.
‘Honour manifesto’
However, Zuraida said she had bumped into Lim’s then political secretary Tony Pua before one of the meetings, during which Pua allegedly told her that the project would not be approved.
“(During the meeting with Lim) he told me that if we wanted to pursue the project, we had to change the mechanism from direct award to open tender, which was part of the manifesto of the government at the time,” she told the court.
She said the land belonged to Berjaya Group and that she later met the landowner to convey the change in mechanism.
“They wrote a letter agreeing to it, which led us to the second meeting,” she added.
Zuraida said she later followed up via WhatsApp, where she told Lim that the government needed to honour its manifesto, however, Lim’s response to the project remained negative during the second meeting.
Yesterday, Lim told the court that he had no recollection of the meetings and could not confirm any WhatsApp conversation with Zuraida, although he acknowledged that the phone number shown belonged to him.
Ex-finance minister Lim Guan Eng
Lim, 65, filed a defamation suit against Zuraida, the editor of online news portal MalaysiaNow and its owner, Mnow Media Sdn Bhd, in June 2024.
He claimed Zuraida had made defamatory statements about him over the housing project during his tenure as finance minister from 2018 to 2020.
The Bagan MP claimed that the statement was carried on MalaysiaNow, via the article “Zuraida dakwa Guan Eng tolak dua kali permohonan KPKT bina rumah pekerja ladang Bestari Jaya” published on the same date.
No black and white
In his testimony yesterday, Lim told judge Shoba Rajah that there were no documents to support Zuraida’s claims.
This was consistent with the testimony of Pua, who was called as Lim’s witness.
Pua said he distinctly recalled other proposals from the Housing and Local Government Ministry during the same period.
“These include a low-cost housing rental scheme that required the Finance Ministry’s guarantees, which progressed through ministerial discussions and officer-level presentations before being discontinued at the officers’ level as it was assessed to unduly guarantee profits to a private bank while exposing the government to losses.
“In these circumstances, I am confident that had a formal and legitimate application of the nature alleged existed and progressed beyond preliminary discussions, it would have come to my attention or that of my office,” he added.
Pua not called as Zuraida’s witness
Proceedings briefly turned heated during cross-examination when Sankara questioned Zuraida on why she did not call Pua as her witness, despite referring to him in her defence statement.
Her lawyer Nizamuddin Hamid objected, and the judge said the question was not significant and that Zuraida need not answer.
“Pua is a supporter of his statement, so how can I call him as a witness?” Zuraida said after brief arguments between parties.
Lim, 65, filed a defamation suit against Zuraida, the editor of online news portal MalaysiaNow and its owner, Mnow Media Sdn Bhd, in June 2024.
He claimed Zuraida had made defamatory statements about him over the housing project during his tenure as finance minister from 2018 to 2020.
The Bagan MP claimed that the statement was carried on MalaysiaNow, via the article “Zuraida dakwa Guan Eng tolak dua kali permohonan KPKT bina rumah pekerja ladang Bestari Jaya” published on the same date.
No black and white
In his testimony yesterday, Lim told judge Shoba Rajah that there were no documents to support Zuraida’s claims.
This was consistent with the testimony of Pua, who was called as Lim’s witness.
Pua said he distinctly recalled other proposals from the Housing and Local Government Ministry during the same period.
“These include a low-cost housing rental scheme that required the Finance Ministry’s guarantees, which progressed through ministerial discussions and officer-level presentations before being discontinued at the officers’ level as it was assessed to unduly guarantee profits to a private bank while exposing the government to losses.
“In these circumstances, I am confident that had a formal and legitimate application of the nature alleged existed and progressed beyond preliminary discussions, it would have come to my attention or that of my office,” he added.
Pua not called as Zuraida’s witness
Proceedings briefly turned heated during cross-examination when Sankara questioned Zuraida on why she did not call Pua as her witness, despite referring to him in her defence statement.
Her lawyer Nizamuddin Hamid objected, and the judge said the question was not significant and that Zuraida need not answer.
“Pua is a supporter of his statement, so how can I call him as a witness?” Zuraida said after brief arguments between parties.
Tony Pua
She also said she did not pursue legal action following Pua’s response to her statement published by MalaysiaNow in 2024.
“I did not make any statement (in response to Pua), but that does not mean I accept it,” she said.
Zuraida said she only spoke publicly about the project when the Kuala Kubu Bharu by-election drew near, after feeling compelled to respond to a statement by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming in April 2024.
At the time, Nga was reported as saying RM5.21 million would be allocated to upgrade public infrastructure under the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council and the Chinese New Village Project.
Zuraida told the court that she was offended by Sankara’s accusation that she had lied.
“As a good Muslim, I don’t lie,” she said.
“I was just stating the facts that I met him (Lim) twice and that he rejected my requests,” she added.
The court adjourned proceedings for the day and will resume tomorrow with Jayaselan taking the stand.
She also said she did not pursue legal action following Pua’s response to her statement published by MalaysiaNow in 2024.
“I did not make any statement (in response to Pua), but that does not mean I accept it,” she said.
Zuraida said she only spoke publicly about the project when the Kuala Kubu Bharu by-election drew near, after feeling compelled to respond to a statement by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming in April 2024.
At the time, Nga was reported as saying RM5.21 million would be allocated to upgrade public infrastructure under the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council and the Chinese New Village Project.
Zuraida told the court that she was offended by Sankara’s accusation that she had lied.
“As a good Muslim, I don’t lie,” she said.
“I was just stating the facts that I met him (Lim) twice and that he rejected my requests,” she added.
The court adjourned proceedings for the day and will resume tomorrow with Jayaselan taking the stand.
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