Karpal: I did not distribute 'deputy speaker's' sex tape

Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh today lodged a police report against a senior NST editor for insinuating that the former had distributed sex video involving a former deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.

Malaysia Chronicle reports :

DAP chairman Karpal Singh has lodged a police complaint against the senior editor of the New Straits Times for alleging that he distributed a sex video tape involving an MIC leader who was also Deputy Speaker of the House. in the 1980s

"I have not at any time distributed any explicit sex video of any former Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker or for that matter any sex video. Making an allegation like this is a very serious matter," Karpal told reporters after lodging a report at the Tun HS Lee police station in Kuala Lumpar.

In 1989, DP Vijandran, the former MIC secretary-general, was forced to resign as Deputy Speaker after Karpal accused him of being the man filmed having sex with a lady friend in the video.

The tape was widely circulated after it was allegedly stolen along with 11 others from Vijandran's house. Among those tasked to watch the video to identify the man was Anwar Ibrahim, who was then an UMNO minister.

What actually happened

In December 1989, Karpal had also suggested a public viewing if there was uncertainty over who the man was.

“However, in 1992, I had, to avoid any infringement of the various provisions of the law then relating to possession and viewing of pornographic material, handed the pornographic videotape to the then deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Ong Tee Keat, who was in the chair in the course of Parliamentary proceedings,” Karpal was reported as saying in April.

There have been attempts by the BN-owned media such as the NST, Utusan and Star to insinuate that the Datuk T sex video was akin to the Vijandran video.

Their aim is to reduce the negative publicity suffered by the Najib administration, which has been accused of trumping the conspiracy and protecting the perpetrator, namely businessman Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca Mentri Besar Rahim Thamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer Shuaib Lazim.

No excuses not to arrest and charge Datuk T

Public pressure is growing on the authorities to charge the trio for publicly screening the video, which they claim they 'discovered', to a group of journalists and select PKR leaders in late March this year.

The tape shows a man who allegedly resembles Anwar having sex with a prostitute. Anwar has denied involvement and lodged a police complaint against the Datuk T trio for criminal blackmail. They had demanded that he and his wife Wan Azizah resign from active politics.

The apparent rationale of the latest spate of BN media reports is that since Karpal did the 'same' with Vijandran's tape and was 'unpunished', why should the Datuk T trio be punished either.

But Karpal has pointed out the two incidences were completely different. He has made it clear he suggested a viewing but did not carry one out. Karpal also said the copy of the Vijandran tape that fell into his hands, he had surrendered it to Ong Tee Keat, who was then deputy Speaker, to avoid any accusations that he had misused the tape.

On Thursday, Karpal told reporters that in his police report, he stated that he wanted NST senior editor Azmi Anshar charged with criminal defamation and publishing false news in the article en titled Karpal's political chicanery exposed again published on June 14.