THE MEANING OF JUSTICE WASTED ON AZMIN CARTEL: PKR LEADERS ALIGNED TO AZMIN CHIDE ANWAR FOR ASKING THEIR BOSS – WHO IS MAHATHIR’S BLUE-EYED BOY – TO RESIGN IF GAY SEX VIDEO IS AUTHENTIC – BUT WHO OTHER THAN ANWAR WILL STAND UP FOR THOSE PKR MEMBERS, GRASSROOTS ROUNDED BY COPS IN A PROBE ALREADY SEEN AS BLATANTLY BIASED TO SHIELD AZMIN EVEN IF HE IS GUILTY

KUALA LUMPUR— Twenty-three members of the PKR central committee jointly rebuked president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today for suggesting his deputy, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, needed to resign as minister over an ongoing sex scandal.

Led by vice-presidents Zuraida Kamaruddin, Chua Tian Chang and Ali Biju, the group said Anwar’s public comments about Azmin were inappropriate and predicated on assertions that remain unproven.

“He should be focussing on the key issue here, which is that there is an organised attempt to use gutter politics to bring down our leaders.

“He should be more concerned about the criminal offences committed by this group who have systematically and widely distributed a video displaying sex acts,” they said in a joint statement.

They also reminded Anwar that he previously said Azmin need not resign over the scandal before his assertion otherwise yesterday.

Anwar should be using his position and influence to aid Azmin in the scandal, they said, and not undermine his own deputy using speculation.

Like Azmin, they also drew Anwar’s attention to his previous sex scandals and stressed that party members had steadfastly defended and rallied support around him during those episodes, citing his 2011 “Datuk T” sex video scandal as an example.

“He should remember Azmin has defended him and his family for more than 20 years against the same type of gutter politics.

“We urge Anwar as party president to stop making such divisive statements,” they said when telling him to redouble efforts towards improving PKR, Pakatan Harapan and the country’s interests.

Aside from the three vice presidents, other signatories of the statement include Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Baru Bian, Wanita PKR chief Haniza Talha, Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara, Amirudin Shaari, Datuk Rashid Hasnon, Sivarasa Rasiah, Rahimah Majid, Elizabeth Wong, Zakaria Abdul Hamid, Mohd Razlan Jalaludin, Datuk Mansor Othman, Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar, Azmizam Zaman Huri, Gan Pei Nei, Hee Loy Sian, Lee Kai Loon, Daroyah Alwi and Muhammad Hilman Idham.

They were supported by four PKR federal lawmakers Steven Chong (Tebrau), Jonathan Yasin (Ranau), Willy Mongin (Puncak Borneo) and Maria Chin Abdullah (Petaling Jaya).

Another PKR vice-president, Dr Xavier Jayakumar, appended his signature to the joint statement after it was released.

After Anwar’s political secretary was arrested on Tuesday in connection with Azmin’s scandal, the PKR president came out to say his deputy should relinquish his economic affairs portfolio in the Cabinet if the sex videos are genuine.

Yesterday, Azmin responded angrily to Anwar’s suggestion by telling the latter to “look in the mirror”.

The open exchanges have brought to fore the undercurrent of hostilities between the two main PKR factions that had previously been kept in check and away from public view.

Speculation that the sex scandal is part of PKR’s internal intrigues has grown with the police’s arrest of several party leaders on suspicion of distributing the clips allegedly featuring Azmin.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that he considered the real crime in the scandal to be the conspiracy to “bring down Azmin.”

Anwar’s aide Farhash Wafa remanded four days for sex video probe

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak has been remanded together with another man for the police investigation on a sex video scandal targetting Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Huzir Mohamed said his agency successfully applied for an order to further detain the two including Farhash Wafa who is also the political secretary of PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“I confirm those two individuals are remanded for four days until this Saturday to assist in the investigation of that video case,” he was quoted as saying to local daily Sinar Harian.

He also confirmed that a third individual who was arrested on the same day as the duo was released after his statement was recorded.

Investigations for the case is under Section 292 of the Penal Code that covers the dissemination of obscene material and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act pertaining to the improper use of network facilities or network service.

The police also arrested and remanded six other individuals in relation to the same case previously, with the High Court yesterday cutting short the remand period of five of them from six days to four days and maintaining the remand period of former Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz for six days until this Saturday.

In a separate report by Sinar Harian, Perak PKR deputy chief MA Tinagaran was quoted as saying that Farhash Wafa’s detention would not affect Perak PKR’s reputation as it is only part of the process to smoothen police investigations regarding the case.

“Perak PKR also sees no need for Farhash to go on leave from leading Perak PKR as in this situation, he is not the individual accused of being directly involved in the intimate video case,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.

He also said a wrong message may seemingly be sent to society with the police’s nabbing of those accused of spreading the videos, instead of going after those involved in the video.

MALAY MAIL