Khalid: I'd be very happy to see that 'sex video'

Responding to a threat that a sex video will be released that implicates him, incumbent Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said he and his wife would be "very happy" if this is done.

"My wife is very happy in the sense that people might do something to me. Then I would stop being involved in politics and we can enjoy life and tour the world," he said, tongue-in-cheek in an interview with the Chinese-language media, including Malaysiakini’s Chinese desk.

Khalid (left) said he had his first exposure to gutter politics in the 2007 Ijok by-election and that he has since learnt to overcome the agony this causes.

"Imagine, I could have sleepless nights, asking questions ... I would be thinking what sort of video it is,” he mused.

"(These days,) I’d be happy - very happy - to see the video, if it exists ... It's nothing, we have gone through the process. So, I am not worried. The reason I am not worried is that I did not do anything.”

Khalid pointed out that he could not have “monkeyed around” as he has been leading a state government.

"I could have done it in my younger days (when I was in the) corporate world. It would have been a much better situation than I'm in now," he joked.
 
He conceded, though, that the release of any such video would have an impact on some voters, but noted that BN and Umno would have already put it out if they have sufficient evidence that he is involved.

'Healthy competition with Azmin'

On another matter, Khalid agreed that he and PKR deputy president  Mohamed Azmin Ali are competitors for the Selangor menteri besar post, albeit in a healthy way.

"Yes, if I say (party president Dr) Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) can be a potential MB, I can say the same of others as well," he said in reply to a question.

"One must understand the pyramid situation in politics - there is only one seat for the MB’s post. Everyone who joins politics but has no ambition must be mad," he said.

Khalid, who will contest the Port Klang state seat instead of Ijok in the 13th general election, reiterated his wish to be appointed as MB again, and said he will offer himself for the post if Pakatan Rakyat keeps the state it first won in 2008.

He disagreed that the party leadership has changed its mind - in terms of keeping him in the post - by mentioning other potential candidates.

"No, this is quite common. (In any party) you just can't rely on one person," he said, noting that the candidate will be assessed and the appointment agreed to by the component parties.

Khalid said he is confident that Pakatan will win 45 state seats, which would be a better outcome than in GE12 when it formed the state government with 35 of the 56 state seats.

He cited findings of a survey showing that the Selangor MB has a "60 percent approval rating". 

The survey also revealed that young bumiputeras want change alongside Pakatan, while middle-class Malays are not happy with remarks made by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali (left).

Khalid added that the Chinese voters also trust the coalition, given that Umno has shown disregard for the community, and there is a crisis within MCA.