Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua is preparing a “massive” defamation suit against Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who claimed in a newspaper report that the DAP politician was once arrested in Singapore.

NONE According to his post on Twitter , Pua claims Zahid's allegedly slanderous remarks were “absolutely unbelievable”.

“We are preparing the suit. It will definitely be filed next week,” said Pua when contacted.

Utusan Malaysia today ran a report quoting Zahid claiming that Pua had once been arrested and tried in Singapore.

“This caused him to be ineligible to run for Parliament in the republic,” read the report.

Zahid said this when speculating on the uproar in Parliament on Tuesday, where Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin called Pua a “Singaporean agent”.

Pua: It's a big lie

Zahid alleged that Pua received his education in Singapore since primary school and Bung Moktar might have been aware of this.

“He was once arrested in Singapore and brought to court but because of his good relationship with certain departments there, he was released and unable to become a member of Parliament,” Zahid told a press conference yesterday.

NONE Zahid said that he did not support Bung Moktar’s allegation and urged Pua to respond to the “Singaporean agent” remark in the Dewan Rakyat since it was uttered there.

The same report quotes Pua denying Zahid’s allegation.

“It is a big lie. I have never been arrested in my life (anywhere) except in Malaysia,” said Pua ( left ), referring to his arrest at an Anti-Internal Security Act event in 2008.

Pua also denied that he had received his primary education in Singapore but admitted that he went to secondary school there. Pua was born and raised in Batu Pahat, Johor.

Previously, Pua had several run-ins with Zahid over dodgy defence procurements .

Pua demands apology, retraction

In a statement later, Pua demanded that Zahid must immediately retract all the allegations in the article and publicly apologise for making “baseless and slanderous lies”.

“I cannot believe that a senior ranking Minister and the highest ranking vice-president of Umno would stoop so low as to spin venomous lies beyond imagination against me and my character,” said Pua.

NONE Pua claimed that Zahid’s claims were an attempt to divert the public and the media’s attention away from the mega-procurement deals which the latter signed last month, amounting to RM13.55 billion.

He adds that Zahid has also failed to provide details on the RM6 billion puchase of six offshore patrol vessels (OPV) from Boustead Holdings Bhd and the RM7.55 billion purchase of 257 armoured personnel carriers (APC) from DRB-Hicom Bhd.

“I had at various times called the Minister to explain in detail what exactly are we purchasing, at prices seemingly much higher than other countries. 

“What’s more, both of these contracts were awarded without any competitive tenders,” said Pua.

He said that instead of coming clean with these defence contracts, Zahid had chosen to spread lies against him.

‘Defence minister should be fiction writer’

Pua categorically stated that he has never been arrested in Singapore (“not even for jay-walking”) nor had he been charged in the city state for any civil or criminal cases.

He also denied having any relationship with the Singaporean government nor had any interest in taking part in Singaporean politics.

Pua also stated that Zahid had made a factual error about his education background.

“I completed my primary school in SRK Montfort, Batu Pahat and for my Bachelor’s degree at Oxford University. 

“I was only in Singapore for my secondary education at Raffles Institution as a recipient of the Asean scholarship.

“What’s more I’ve never even taken up permanent residency in Singapore or any other country, unlike certain BN ministers.

“The insinuation by the Minister that I am now a “Singapore agent” due to a deal with Singapore authorities is downright evil. 

“The story painted by the defence minister is so outrageous and incredible that perhaps he will make a better spy fiction writer like John Le Carre, than he is as the country’s defence minister,” he said.