Scandal story a tip-off from deputy minister, says Khalid
A 'tip-off' from a deputy minister gave writer Khalid Jefri the lead to break the scandal story involving Puteri Umno chief Azalina Othman which recently held the nation breathless for weeks.
"The deputy minister said there were talks about Azalina's alleged sexual misconduct and he suggested that I investigate the matter to determine the truth of the allegations," Khalid said.
He told malaysiakini that the deputy minister mentioned the allegations in the course of a conversation he had with him. Khalid also revealed the identity of the deputy minister who is a high ranking Umno leader.
The now suspended Malay weekly tabloid, Perdana Sari , of which Khalid was chief editor and publisher, had published reports alleging that Azalina is a lesbian and that she had misused party money to buy a gift for her 'partner'.
The weekly, which hit the streets on March 31, had carried reports on Azalina's alleged sexual misconduct in its second, third and fourth issues.
Its fourth issue, dated April 21, carried a front-page story and picture of Azalina's alleged partner, accusing her of being the main 'culprit' behind a series of resignation of Puteri Umno exco members, including two popular local artistes, Erra Fazira and Erma Fatima.
The tabloid identified Azalina's 'lover' as the wife of a successful Kuala Lumpur businessman and restauranteur. It also alleged that Azalina used Puteri Umno funds to buy her 'partner' a RM300,000 Mercedes Benz as a birthday gift.
Sufficient evidence
Khalid claimed that in the course of his investigation, he had gathered sufficient evidence to support the allegations that Azalina is a lesbian, and that she had misappropriated Puteri Umno funds to buy a car for her "lover". He said he was prepared to produce the evidences in court if need to.
The 62-year-old Khalid denied allegations that he was paid by "someone" to publish the reports in an effort to tarnish Azalina's good name.
"The deputy minister has nothing to do with investigations into Azalina's alleged sexual affairs and the subsequent publication of the story in Perdana Sari . Everything was done of my own accord and initiative," he stressed
Azalina had claimed that a campaign was being waged by some sections within Umno to oust her as she was seen as a threat to veteran party leaders in the women's wing.
Sensational stories
According to Khalid, he owned the Mingguan Perdana weekly with a circulation of about 400,000 copies in 1982. However, he had to sell the weekly after he ran into financial difficulty following the closure of his daily, Harian Nasional .
"I want Perdana Sari to emerge as another Mingguan Perdana which was a best seller in the mid 1980s by focusing on sensational stories such as the one on Azalina because they would help boost circulation.
"But I would always make sure that I have sufficient evidences to defend myself and the publication in the event of a suit", he said.
Defending his series of articles on Azalina, Khalid maintained that it was never his intention to tarnish the good image of Puteri Umno; his target was only the movement's leader.
Two weeks ago, the Home Affairs ministry imposed a three-month suspension on Perdana Sari for breaching the ministry's guidelines on the content of the publication.
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