SHAH ALAM: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has condemned the use of "dirty tactics" in politics for the sake of running down certain individuals.
He said this following the release of two videos allegedly depicting Economic Affairs minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz, a senior private secretary of a ministry, engaging in sex acts.
“I’d say it is dirty politics. If you cannot win against somebody, don’t do these dirty things. Keep politics a little bit cleaner.
“You can’t be showing indecent pictures of people when you are losing,” said Dr Mahathir here tonight (May 12).
Dr Mahathir also said the videos were created by people who had political agendas, adding that he did not believe the videos were real.
“You believe it? Please don’t tell me you are stupid to that extent.
“Nowadays, you can produce all kinds of pictures if you are clever enough. One day, you may see my picture like that, too.
“This is cooked up by someone who has a political agenda. That is all,” added Dr Mahathir.
He also questioned the motive of Muhammad Haziq who claimed to be one of the persons in the videos.
“The boy who admitted, it was deliberate. If not, he would not have admitted. Normally, the person who does it will be embarassed.
“But this person isn’t embarassed and said: ‘I did that.’ What is his intention?” Dr Mahathir asked.
Asked whether the videos were a sign that there was a power struggle brewing in PKR, Dr Mahathir said he had no idea who was behind the videos.
He, however, said "such dirty political tactics" should not exist in Malaysia.
Azmin has denied the video's authenticity, saying that he believed there was a plot against him.
“This is nothing but a nefarious plot to assassinate my reputation and character in an attempt to destroy my political career.
“I utterly condemn this brand of gutter politics. It has no place in this era of New Malaysia, where we are working to rebuild the nation through institutional reforms,” the PKR deputy president was quoted as saying in a statement.