"As the father, I know what happened": Saiful's dad fends off hostile Umno media, joins PKR

UPDATE 5 Azlan Mohd Lazim, the man in the centre of a new controversy threatening to engulf Malaysia's embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak, has announced his intention to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the political party helmed by Anwar Ibrahim.

Azlan is the father of political aide Saiful Bukhari who in 2008 had claimed he was sodomized by Anwar.

Last week, Azlan, formerly a staunch Umno member, had shocked the nation when he confessed that Anwar had been and Saiful had been driven by an "evil conspiracy" concocted by an official in the Prime Minister's office, together with a lawyer, to destroy Anwar's political career.

"I want to effect change with Anwar Ibrahim's PKR party," Azlan told a press conference on Monday.

"My purpose was not get the people to support me. Some of the people believe me because as the father, I know what happened," he added.

I love Saiful very much

Saying he loved his son very much, Azlan apologized to his son for "pilihan aku" or for choosing a different. He also declined to comment on a denial that Saiful has since issued that his claims against Anwar were fabricated.

"Biar lah (let it be)," said Azlan.

Hours after his father's shock press conference on Friday, Saiful - guided by lawyer Zamri Idrus - refuted Azlan's allegations that he had been used to defame Anwar. Saiful also denied talk of a misunderstanding with his father or that his father had financial problems.

“There is no political conspiracy in this,” Saiful had told the press conference.

Meanwhile, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution accepted Azlan's application form on behalf of his party.

Tense atmosphere, Umno-media all out to tear down Azlan's testimony

It was clear from the tense atmosphere during Monday's press conference battle lines have been very clearly drawn, with pro-Umno media all out to tear Azlan's testimony to shreds.

They grilled him on the timing for his revelation and why he did not stop Saiful from taking the "sumpah laknat" in a mosque just days before the Permatang Pauh by-election in 2008 that he had indeed been sodomized by Anwar.

They also challenged Azlan to take a "sumpah laknat" now to prove he was serious about his latest allegations.

However, Azlan refused to take the bait and asked the press to refer to his statement issued on Friday, where he had detailed his reasons for deciding to blow open the case.

Transparency and a 5-year burden

Asked if PKR would attract accusations it had 'paid' Azlan to recant so as to gain votes in the 13th general election, widely expected to be called within the next few weeks, party vice president Sivarasa Rasiah said the overriding objective was transparency.

"For Azlan, it is a burden that he has been carrying for almost 5 years now. He wants to it let go and it makes sense to do so before GE13, otherwise, the amends he wants to make won't have that much effect. He seems to me to be quite sincere in his wish to repent and to join the reform movement. We see this happening among a large spectrum of voters, particularly from Umno, who want to switch sides because of disenchantment," Sivarasa, who is also the PKR MP for Subang told Malaysia Chronicle.

"For PKR, of course, we are conscious that people especially from Umno-BN will say that there is more than coincidence in Azlan joining our party so soon after making the exposure. But we want to be transparent about this. This is not stage-managed, no drama here. Very simply, he came to us to tell us about his 'burden' and his wish to join the party. We will obviously assess his application based on its merit."

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