IPOH, April 18 — Perak DAP vice-chairman Abdul Aziz Bari today denied that he was one of those in a leaked voice recording purportedly featuring a state executive councillor discussing the mentri besar’s performance.
“Nowadays anything can happen. I have yet to hear the recording as I do not have the time,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the state assembly here today, the Tebing Tinggi assemblyman also refuted allegations that he was the man in the recording.
“Now anyone can make allegations. Unless there is a video or picture accompanying it, why only me? Am I the only one with potential to be the mentri besar?” he asked.
Aziz also said he would leave it to the people to judge for themselves if he was the voice in the recording.
“I choose to follow Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad where people may call him Mahafiraun, Mahazalim and yet he did not lodge reports. As long as the matter does not affect public order, I do not want to get involved,” he added.
Abdul Aziz also questioned the timing of the recording, which he claimed was an attempt by Barisan Nasional (BN) to divert public attention.
“This is coffee shop talk. It should stop. There are more important issues,” he added.
He was asked to comment on a viralled four-minute recording where several men were heard discussing Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu’s performance as the mentri besar.
State Opposition leader Datuk Saarani Mohamad said the recording was proof that there was indeed a plot to overthrow Ahmad Faizal.
Saarani said the recording proved what he said previously was true.
“From the recording, it shows I was not lying as the content was the same as the statutory declarations made by five Umno assemblymen previously,” he said.
Denying Umno had a hand in viralling the recording, Saarani said he too only got the recording on Wednesday.
“As to who recorded it I do not know. It is not me,” he said, adding that Umno should not be dragged into the controversy as the party’s name was not mentioned in the recording.
“It is between themselves (Pakatan Harapan),” he added.
Rumours of an internal ouster surfaced on November 25 when Saarani revealed that there was a high possibility Perak could face snap polls, pointing to a move, allegedly by the state executive councillors, to topple Ahmad Faizal.
During the state assembly sitting in December, Saarani accused Abdul Aziz of perpetrating the move to oust Ahmad Faizal as mentri besar.
Saarani claimed he had in hand the statutory declarations (SD) from BN assemblymen who were allegedly approached by Abdul Aziz.
