Utusan Malaysia Journalist - Obtuse?

I once blogged about how Obtuse Ibrahim Ali & Zulkifli Nordin were. But today, this Utusan Malaysia journalist takes the cake. 

The Journalist was the Prosecution first witness in a Sedition charge against Karpal Singh. Karpal had, during the Perak fiasco in February, made a statement that the Sultan of Perak had acted ultra vires the Perak Constitution. Apparently, this Utusan Malaysia journalist thought Karpal had insulted the Sultan when Karpal used the word 'Ultra Vires'.

In the Malaysian Insider report, the Journalist by the name of Mohd Nizam Bin Mohd Yatim was quoted to say these:- 

"Mohd Nizam: “Although the orders have been confirmed by the Sultan. If the decision is ultra vires then the decision can be adjudicated by the court.”

Jagdeep then asked Nizam to explain what ultra vires means to the court.

Nizam looking confused and replied: “To insult.”

Jagdeep then told Mohd Nizam that his misunderstanding of the word had caused chaos in the country because the word actually means “beyond the powers”."

What a brilliant answer. Ultra Vires is a latin phrase to mean acting beyond the power given. But this 'hero' from Utusan Malaysia thought that phrase means to insult.

If he is the Prosecution's first witness (and strongest witness?) then I wonder what kind of investigation did the Police and AG did before they initiated this Suit.

So there we have it, the top Malay language paper in Malaysia, having a journalist who cant even understand a simple Latin phrase used in daily legal work. The 'champion' fellow could have just picked up a phone and asked one of the lawyers, and the lawyer would have probably given him the correct definition to that phrase.

So we have Karpal facing charges for Sedition because this hero of a journalist from Utusan Malaysia, thought Karpal was insulting Sultan Perak with that Ultra Vires. 

But, what do you expect from an Obtuse newspaper like Utusan? Of course, the answer is simple - equally Obtuse Journalist.