PM: Why bring up Rais ‘rape’ now?
(Free Malaysia Today) – Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is curious why the rape allegation implicating a member of his cabinet is being raised now, four years after the supposed incident happened.
Breaking his silence on the controversy, Najib also cautioned against condemning a person before an investigation is done.
“We cannot prejudge someone before a proper investigation is done. In any case, what happened (the alleged incident) was in 2007, the question is why (raise it) now?” he said.
Reports have been swirling over a purported WikiLeaks disclosure that former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi covered up a rape case involving Rais Yatim, who is now information, communication and culture minister.
Police reports have also been lodged on the matter, with several quarters urging Najib to act against Rais, and calling on the latter to sue those who implicated him in order to clear his name.
Rais has since denied the allegation and blamed his political rivals of concocting wicked lies to tarnish his image and frustrate his efforts to promote Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.
The 69-year-old Umno leader, accused of raping his former Indonesian maid, also labelled the allegation as an attempt to divert public attention from the opposition’s woes, such as Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial.
