Kadir Jasin: I just want to be a writer now

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin has said that he would like to focus on writing after resigning as spokesperson for the Council of Eminent Persons.

"If what I write is attributed to other people, then it's not good for me and not good for people. (It's) my decision (to resign) since I want to be a writer than anything else.

"It's my way of thinking as a journalist," he told reporters when met at Menara Ilham in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, today.

Kadir reiterated that his resignation on June 9 was not due to pressure from any party.

"As my statement says, nobody asked me to leave or stay. It was purely my decision," he said.

Asked who would replace him as council spokesperson, Kadir said he had no knowledge about the matter.

He said that he was there to meet the council head Daim Zainuddin but refused to divulge details.

"I'm here to wish Daim Selamat Hari Raya," he quipped.

On Saturday, the veteran newsman resigned as the CEP's head of media and communications after he became embroiled in a controversy over his blog post which touched on the personal expenditure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Kadir had claimed that RM256.9 million was spent on Sultan Muhammad V between January 2017 and April this year.

Following this, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim hit out at Kadir, saying that the latter's disclosure on the matter was inappropriate.

Kadir said today that he and Anwar were on good terms, although he admitted that there had been no communication between them after Anwar's criticism of him.

"Not spoken. Relationship with Anwar has always been good. We have been friends for a long time, since 1982. I know him before he joined Umno when he was leading Abim. When he joined Umno, I got to know him better."

Commenting on Anwar's four-day visit to London for a series of meetings with British ministers, Kadir said Anwar had the right to go wherever he wanted.

"We in Malaysia, and for the most part of the world, enjoy the freedom of movement. He is free to travel, whether he has official capacity or not, that doesn't matter.

He is a politician and he has his audience, so he goes wherever he likes. So nothing extraordinary about that. He has reasons and of course the right to travel, unlike some people who are unable to travel," Kadir said. -Mkini