Malaysia's cyberspace has gone into overdrive speculating about the identity of the federal Cabinet minister who allegedly spent RM1.5million on his actress-mistress over a 3-year period, prompting a hue-and-cry over how he could afford such an extravagant lifestyle on his minister's pay.
PKR leaders R Sivarasa and Zuraida Kamaruddin who exposed the scandal on Wednesday have refused to divulge any identities, giving the minister 7 days to clarify before they went public with their demand for a probe by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission.
Even so, political commentators seemed to have zoomed in on Shafie Apdal, the Rural and Regional Development Minister from Sabah, and Zahida Rafik, a 37-year-old actress known for her role in Anak Mami The Movie.
Both Shafie and Zahida have previously denied rumours of a relationship. Such talk has been circulating for quite a while and a Google search will easily yield thousands of postings.
Meanwhile, Shafie has been incommunicado, refusing to comment on the latest expose'. No other Cabinet minister has stepped forward to deny or confirm the PKR accusations either.
Related to Shuaib Lazim of Datuk T infamy
The 55-year-old Shafie is married to Shuryani binti Shuaib and has 6 children. His father-in-law is Shuaib Lazim, one of the Datuk T trio, who at the onset of the Sarawak state elections in 2011 had screened a sex DVD, accusing Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim of paying a prostitute for sexual intercourse.
Whether or not it is a case of what goes around comes around, Shafie is now in deep trouble. Because the rumours about him and Zahida are not new and in fact have long been entrenched, now that the scandal has been officially raised, it is bound to hit his career and political future hard.
A blow to Shafie's aspirations to be Sabah CM
Shafie is regarded as one of Najib's favorite ministers and the man who will succeed Musa Aman as the Sabah Chief Minister.
The unpopular Musa and his brother, Anifah, have been accused of money laundering and possessing inordinate wealth in bank accounts in Hong Kong. The Attorney General Gani Patail has been accused of conspiring to cover up their misdeeds and for not prosecuting the duo for corruption.
Now with Shafie caught in his own scandal, Sabahans may have to ponder new candidates but as seasoned observers said, the decision is really not up to them and Shafie - guilty or not - can still make a stab for the top Sabah seat.
Regardless of how the chips fall, if it is Shafie, he has 7 days to tell his side of the story.
Going after the driver?
Umno watchers expect the minister - whoever it turned out to be - to tear into the credibility of the driver who lodged the police report, giving details that exposed the alleged affair with the actress.
However, that might prove tricky as Zahida was the one who 'started' the row that culminated in the driver's police report (scroll below for the article). She had complained to the police that he had gone missing with RM200,000 of her money.
Infuriated, the driver - 37-year-old Noor Azman Azemi - went to the police and spilled the beans.
"I would think the Umno lawyers would probably be guiding the minister now, whoever he is that Zuraida and Siva will expose next week. Umno could try to get the driver to retract his statement. Then it would be mere speculation. Of course, everyone would have their opinion on whether it was true but it would pave the way for the minister to retain his political career in that it would appease the Muslim clergy," an Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.
"That would also be the answer Umno will give to its members. If Najib can hammer through the NFC and Shahrizat Jalil, what is this fling? The Umno bigwigs are already famous for their hypocrisy, they are not going to be stopped by conscience. Instead, they will blame it all on the nasty lies spun by the Pakatan Rakyat."
Malaysia Chronicle
ZAHIDA...pemandu gagal dihubungi
AMPANG: Pelakon Zahida Mohamed Rafik, 37, kerugian RM200,000 dilarikan pemandu peribadinya selepas diarah memasukkan wang berkenaan ke dalam akaun banknya.
Zahida yang popular menerusi filem komedi Anak Mami The Movie menyerahkan wang tunai berkenaan kepada lelaki berusia 37 tahun itu pada kira-kira jam 11 pagi Rabu lalu dan sejak itu suspek gagal dihubungi serta dipercayai sudah melarikan diri.
Pelakon kacukan Melayu-Pakistan itu yang menjalankan perniagaan milik keluarganya di sini turut ke rumah suspek untuk mencarinya, tetapi tidak berhasil apabila dimaklumkan lelaki berkenaan tidak pulang ke rumah dan gagal dihubungi.
Zahida kemudian membuat laporan di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Ampang Jaya, di sini, pada petang hari sama.
Ketua Polis Daerah Ampang Jaya, Asisten Komisioner Amiruddin Jamaluddin mengesahkan menerima laporan berkenaan dan kes itu disiasat mengikut Seksyen 406 Kanun Keseksaan kerana pecah amanah.
Sementara itu, Zahida ketika dihubungi semalam berkata, apa yang berlaku mungkin kesilapannya sendiri kerana terlalu percaya terhadap pemandunya itu.
“Saya percayakannya sebab dia sudah bekerja dengan saya hampir lima tahun dan sebelum ini tidak pernah melakukan apa-apa kesalahan,” katanya.
Zahida berkata wang RM200,000 itu sepatutnya digunakan untuk membuat pembayaran kepada rakan perniagaannya di China.
“Sebelum ini sudah banyak kali dia (suspek) membantu saya dalam urusan memasukkan duit ke dalam akaun bagi urusan kerja, tapi tidaklah jumlah yang besar sebegini. “Kebiasaannya saya akan turut sama pergi dan dia hanya menemani. Namun, kali ini saya benar-benar tidak sempat kerana ibu sakit dan saya agak kelam-kabut di rumah bagi menguruskan beberapa perkara,” katanya. Menurut Zahida, dia langsung tidak menjangka pemandunya sanggup menghilangkan diri bersama wang RM200,000 itu.
“Sebelum membuat laporan polis, saya ke rumahnya. Maklumlah sudah hampir lima tahun dia bekerja dengan saya, saya kenal anak-anak dan ibunya yang tinggal bersama. “Mungkin juga dia ada masalah kewangan atau memerlukan duit, jadi saya ke rumahnya untuk bertanya dan berbincang. Namun ibunya hanya memberitahu dia sudah beberapa hari tidak pulang ke rumah. Jadi, saya tiada pilihan selain melaporkannya kepada polis,” katanya. - http://www.hmetro.com.my
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