Ibrahim Ali says Nik Aziz oblivious to reality
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
GOMBAK, May 15 — In what is seen as a battle for Kelantan, Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali took a swipe at Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat last night for backing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the sex video scandal despite having failed to watch the recording himself.
The fiery Malay rights leader was in his element as he belted out accusations against the veteran PAS leader at a ceramah in Kampung Changkat here, charging that the latter lives in a realm of his own.
“This Nik Aziz, he wakes in the early morning, does his prayers… I know him, I have prayed with him before.
“He does not know what is happening around the word, what is going on around him. He knows nothing about the video… he only knows to listen to others,” Ibrahim said in his speech.
The Pasir Mas MP won his seat on a PAS ticket in Election 2008 but has insisted he is an independent although his views are more aligned to his former party Umno. Most of his Perkasa members are also from Umno.
Umno is pushing to win Kelantan which it lost in the 1990 election but Nik Aziz (picture) has proven to be a popular figure to keep the state in PAS’s grip. Another party eyeing Kelantan is Parti KITA led by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who left PKR last year after saying party elections was flawed.
PAS is grappling with a successor for Nik Aziz who will turn 80 this year, giving a chance to other parties trying to win the state if he decides to stay out of the next state election which must be called by 2013.
Ibrahim slammed the long-serving mentri besar for declaring that those who accused Anwar of being the man in the video would not go to heaven, pointing out that the latter had not even watched the video and had no right to condemn others.
“It is easy for him to say because he never watched it. And why did he not watch it? Because he says it is a sin,” he said, triggering sniggers in the audience.
Ibrahim pointed out that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar had recently already declared the video as authentic, although stopping short of saying the man featured in the 21-minute recording was indeed Anwar.
The police were also reported to have sought the assistance of experts from the United States to study the authenticity of the controversial video.
Deputy IGP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said on Friday that new findings have also backed up earlier conclusions that the video had not been doctored.
“We have received the report from foreign experts and from the report, it reaffirms our experts’ findings about the authenticity of the video… that it is authentic, and not edited.
“If the video is authentic, you can make your own assumptions,” he told reporters at its headquarters here.
Khalid however also said that the current legislation does not require people recorded within pornographic materials to be exposed or charged, reiterating that the police were only investigating the public screening and distribution of the video under Section 292 of the Penal Code.
“If there is a need under the law [to identify the people in the video]… if the law requires us to disclose, then we will disclose,” he said.
