Muhyiddin Yassin said today that PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat must "tell the truth even if it is bitter" about the sex video featuring a man said to resemble opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The deputy prime minister said the government had never exploited the video and police were investigating it only because it was reported to involve a "prominent person".

"When a video like that surfaces and it is linked to someone prominent, the opposition leader, many people are sure to want to know, it comes to the attention of the public and an investigation is called for to establish the facts," he told reporters after meeting Pahang educators in Kuantan.

Commenting on the statement of Nik Aziz that people who accused Anwar of being the person in the video would not go to heaven, Muhyiddin said:

"This is a new fatwa from Nik Aziz. He is usually like this, responding in the language of politics rather than theology."

Asked why he thought Nik Aziz had made the statement after police investigation had established that the video was authentic, he said:

"It is easy for Nik Aziz. When there is no other way, resort to religious ruling."

 

Muhyiddin said that what was important was to find out the truth about the video so that there would not be any slander relating to it.

Deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday that foreign imaging experts had verified that the video was genuine and not doctored.

Local experts had made the same verification earlier.

- Bernama