We stand by PM for not suspending Azmin, says Sivarasa

Deputy Rural Development Minister R. Sivarasa during interview session on his goals for his ministry at Putrajaya. FAIHAN GHANI/The Star.

SUBANG JAYA: The government supports the decision of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for not suspending Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who was implicated in a sex video, says Sivarasa Rasiah.

"People question why Dr Mahathir is not sacking Azmin as he did to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim back in 1998.

"We have a different political environment now where we accepted Dr Mahathir to lead Pakatan Harapan because he agreed to accept our manifesto of clean politics and adhere to the rule of law," said the Deputy Rural Development Minister.

He added that Dr Mahathir's position is consistent with this, saying that the Prime Minister was absolutely right when he said Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, who confessed publicly to being the other person in the sex video, was part of a political agenda.

The Sungai Buloh MP said that the viral sex video implicating Azmin is no different from the attacks against the PKR president when he was the deputy prime minister in 1998.

"What happened to Azmin is no different from what happened to Anwar although Anwar suffered worse after he was sacked, jailed and beaten up in jail.

"In 1998, I stood by many others to oppose Dr Mahathir. He never showed evidence why he sacked Anwar and it was unjustified," said Sivarasa, acknowledging that he was disappointed.

"We have stooped to such a low of political assassination. Competition for high political posts must not descend to low levels," Sivarasa added.

He was commenting on why Azmin was treated differently by Dr Mahathir when the latter refused to ask Azmin to go on leave while authorities are investigating the sex video allegations by Haziq, who is also Santubong PKR Youth chief.

Dr Mahathir had said that the sex video is a political plot and Azmin need not go on leave pending investigations.

Siva also said that Haziq, who alleged Azmin as being in the video, was unfit to be a civil servant, because the latter was part of gutter politics.

"When Haziq went public with his so called confession, he made himself an active part of the gutter politics.

"He could have seen the party leaders privately. His public confession contradicts his claims that he is a victim," Siva added.

Haziq, who was the senior political secretary of the Primary Industries Deputy Minister, was sacked last week after he was issued a show cause letter upon his confession.