Tunku Aziz refutes claim he’s seeking MB post
PETALING JAYA: Former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim has ridiculed claims that he has offered himself as Kedah menteri besar after the coming general election.
He said the allegations, made by former information minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin on Dec 30, were politically-driven slander and defamation.
“To become menteri besar, I first have to be an Umno member. I am not a member of any political party,” said Tunku Aziz here.
Zainuddin’s post came a day after Tunku Aziz held a press conference calling for opposition leader and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to explain himself, following allegations by blogger Raja Petra Ka- maruddin.
Raja Petra had al- leged Dr Mahathir was in nego- tiations with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to secure a slot for his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, to contest the next election as a Barisan Nasional candidate.
Dr Mahathir had, after the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) annual general meeting on Saturday, deflected questions over the allegations, and called Raja Petra a “drunkard”.
“All I can see is that these claims came after I called for Dr Mahathir to respond to allegations made by Raja Petra,” said Tunku Aziz.
“But to say that I am trying to become Kedah menteri besar is slanderous. I am 84 years old, and I have no political ambitions.
“In fact, I was never a politician until I joined DAP at the age of 75. I saw that things were not what they seemed to be and I left.”
Tunku Aziz said he also had no connection with Kedah politics, although he was the nephew of the state’s second menteri besar, Tunku Ismail Tunku Yahya.
He said that for Zainuddin to say that he wanted to replace current Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, as he felt the latter was unpopular, was another slanderous accusation.
“I have not even had the pleasure of meeting Ahmad Bashah, so I cannot judge him. Zainuddin is just an expert in propaganda.
“He was a senior cabinet member and the minister of information, but now he has become the ‘Minister of Misinformation’,” said Tunku Abdul Aziz.
He said he would not take legal action against Zainuddin, whom he expected to be honourable enough to offer an apology.
“It is up to him,” said Tunku Aziz.