Rahim: It’s patriotism, not vendetta

I've no other motive except to expose an immoral person, says former Malacca CM, the man behind the sex-video of 'Anwar'

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik said that it was love for his country that drove him to expose the controversial sex video implicating Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“I’m the most patriotic citizen, (I’m doing this) because I want the truth to prevail. It was my responsibility when I saw something that is bad for the nation,” said the Umno veteran.

“My purpose is to establish the truth… so that the people know the morality of the person who aspires to be prime minister. And they can judge for themselves, that is all. I have no ulterior motives, no vendetta,” said Rahim.

He said even though he was forced to resign his position as the chief minister of Malacca in 1994 by Anwar (then deputy prime minister), who he claimed had misled and cheated him, he accepted it willingly as he had “put national interest above all”.

“Now I’m not afraid of anything. The truth will be proven soon,” he said, adding that the authorities should rope in foreign experts to verify the authenticity of the sex tape.

Last week, Rahim, together with businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Perkasa treasurer Shuib Lazim, admitted that they were behind the screening of the sex video to the media at a hotel here.

The 21-minute video showed a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Anwar having sex with a Chinese-looking woman said to be a prostitute.

Calling themselves the ‘Datuk T’ trio, they claimed the man in the video was Anwar and demanded that he quit politics.

Anwar has denied he was the man in the video and police have since launched an investigation following his police report.

Rahim has come under fire as his own political career was brought down by a sex scandal in 1994. He was charged with statutory rape involving a 15-year-old girl but the charges were later dropped by the Attorney-General due to insufficient evidence.

‘I’ve become the victim’

Asked about public opinion that Rahim himself was hardly in a position to be leveling accusations against Anwar, he replied that his “bad reputation” were all caused by political conspiracies against him.

“My life is clean. After all these years, even after apologies from Time, Asiaweek and DAP, they are still making the same allegations against me. It is unfair,” said Rahim.

“I’ve become the victim. There are people who committed crimes, have all sorts of records, but are regarded as heroes, how can that be?” he asked.

Rahim, however, stopped short of naming his one-time nemesis and now Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, who was jailed for 18 months for offences under the Sedition Act and Printing and Publications Act for “exposing” Rahim’s sex scandal.

Ready to sue

Rahim warned those making “wild allegations” against him, including Anwar and bloggers, that he is planning on launching lawsuits against them.

“I cannot do much now to correct or rectify the past, I can only be delivered justice by a court of law,” said Rahim, adding that it was immoral for anyone to cast aspersions on someone who is innocent and was never prosecuted.

“I just want to ask. How can you judge someone based on rumours? People who do so do not have morals. There is no sense of respect for the rule of law, it has been trodden beneath their feet,” he said.

“Till today, I’m very angry. I have done nothing wrong. There was no prima facie case against me and I am clean of all criminal records.”

“I will be watching every single blog. I have appointed a lawyer to scrutinise every single word said against me whether in speech or writing,” warned Rahim.

“If you have no prove, you have to suffer the consequences and pay me. If you keep touching me. I will see you in court. “ - FMT