Pua: Defence minister ‘downright evil’
By Patrick Lee, Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: PJ Utara MP Tony Pua is up in arms with Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for alleging that he wiggled his way out of a charge in court in Singapore.
In an Utusan Malaysia report (see below) today, Zahid alleged that Pua was arrested by Singaporean authorities, only to be released because of the DAP MP’s connections.
“I cannot believe that a senior minister and Umno’s highest ranking vice-president would stoop so low as to spin venomous lies against me and my character,” Pua said in a statement.
“The story painted by the defence minister is so outrageous and incredible that perhaps he will make good fiction writer like John Le Carre, than as the country’s defence minister.”
Accusing Zahid of being “downright evil”, Pua said that he had never gotten in any sort of legal trouble in Singapore, and denied any links with the island nation’s government.
Pua’s anger stemmed from a news report attributed to Zahid in Utusan where he had been quoted as saying: “He (Pua) was caught in Singapore and brought to court. But maybe because of his good relationship with certain offices there, he was released and couldn’t become an MP there.”
However, Zahid did not elaborate on the supposed charge slapped on the DAP MP. Zahid’s words were made in reference to Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin’s comments against Pua in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.
Bung Mokhtar’s unfunny statement was a rejoinder to Arau MP Ismail Kassim’s complaint that foreigners were referring to rambutans as the Singapore lychee.
He interrupted Ismail, telling the latter to talk to Pua, the “Singapore agent”. And he laughed at his own joke.
The comment did not sit well with Pakatan Rakyat MPs, who promptly demanded that Bung retract his statement.
Pua not present
The defence minister also told Utusan Malaysia that Bung may have been on to something to have made such a comment about Pua.
Zahid also claimed that Pua was schooled under the Singaporean education system, and even underwent tertiary education there.
The DAP MP, however, rubbished the allegations.
