Audio slamming Perak MB goes viral

IPOH: A controversy has erupted over an audio recording putting down the leadership of Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (pic).

In the audio clip, which has gone viral, an unidentified man is heard complaining about Ahmad Faizal’s performance in administering the state.

The person seemed to be speaking to a few other people, believed to be Umno assemblymen.

In the four-minute and 22-second audio clip, he is heard saying that Ahmad Faizal “is always late for meetings, has a tendency to skip programmes involving Tuanku (Sul­tan of Perak) and decisions are not made during exco meetings”.The individual also claimed other exco members had told him that they wanted Ahmad Faizal to be replaced.

He claimed that he could be a mentri besar candidate as he had good ties with the Perak royalty.

Once again, state executive councillor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has been implicated in this controversy, as there are claims that the individual talking in the audio clip sounded very much like him.

But when reporters met him on the sidelines of the state assembly yesterday, Abdul Aziz said he had not heard the audio recording and had no time to hear such recordings.

“In this era of technology, all sorts of things can be done. We don’t even know the source of the audio.

“I don’t want to comment on something which is not authentic as it could be doctored.

“Anyway, I feel the issue of the losses incurred by the movie animation park studios is a much bigger issue compared to the audio recording.

“Why is it only me (being asked)? Am I the only one with the potential to be a mentri besar?” he asked.

During the last state assembly meeting in December, Abdul Aziz had denied that he was involved in a plot to oust Ahmad Faizal.

At the time, however, Perak Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Saa­rani Mohamad confirmed that five Umno assemblymen had met Abdul Aziz over an alleged plot to oust the mentri besar.

The five had even gone to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis­sion (MACC) to give their statements.

On the content of the latest audio clip, Saarani said: “I will stick to what I said before – I have five statutory declarations (SD) from Umno assemblymen that they had indeed met with the exco concerned, who wanted support for him to be the next mentri besar.

“The five were also summoned by the MACC and the police, and the SDs were handed over to the authorities.

“The content in the audio is the same as what is listed in the SDs. But (as for) who recorded this audio clip, I am not sure. It is certainly not me.”

Rungkup assemblyman Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya, one of the five assemblymen purportedly app­roached by the exco, said he listened to the recording very briefly.

When asked if he was one of the men being addressed in the audio clip, Shahrul said the source of the audio had not been verified and it was not right for him to comment on it.

“There is nothing to hide that I am one of the five who gave an SD. What is recorded in the audio is nothing new,” he said.

Ahmad Faizal is expected to hold a press conference today.