Determined to fight allegations of moral misconduct, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali today said that the attacks have brought him greater support - including from unlikely sources.

NONE Speaking at the Selangor PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya Utara today, he said that he was “surprised” to even get support from former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad ( left ).

“Even Dr Mahathir supports me! I was surprised. (Mahathir said) “Azmin, sue the media who link you (to the alleged sex video)” and that he does not believe (the claims).

“I tweeted him to say “Tun, thank you for advising me”,” he said almost lightheartedly on what appeared to be a cynical comment made by the former Umno president.

Azmin, who was commenting on his RM100 million lawsuit against Utusan Malaysia for publishing claims that he was involved in a ‘toilet tryst’, added that Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, too, supports him.

Refuting suggestions that Abdul Khalid, whom he had replaced as Selangor PKR chief, did not support him, he asked: “Mahathir does not believe the (claims), how could Khalid?”

“Don’t try to put us at odds against each other,” he said.

Azmin also explained that his tweet to PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was not to rebuke her for commenting on other allegations against him, but rather to ask her to “make it more clear to avoid being miscontrued”.

“I wanted her to clarify. I understood what she meant but I feared that the rakyat may be ‘misled by media who try to put (the leaders) at loggerheads’.”

Wan Azizah had earlier advised Azmin to visit his mother, after the latter was featured tearfully lamenting on TV3 that Azmin has forgotten her.

“My love and affection for my mum has been strong from day one. I never betrayed her ( derhaka ). I love her and have done the best by her. Do not drag her in for Umno’s benefit. This is most disgusting,” he said.  

‘They’re not interested in the truth’

Azmin said the latest attacks involving his mother are part of a long list of attacks on him for the past few months, starting with 14-year-old claims about the paternity of his daughter.

But this was already put to rest through two separate paternity tests in 1998, which he said proves that the people attacking him are not interested in the truth.  

“Then it was my shares, which (former Anti Corruption Agency chief) Shafee Yahya had explained in his book, then that I was insulting the Malay rulers, then on Bersih, the sex video and now my mother,” he said.

“If they think this would weaken me, then they are wrong. I am more determined to fight this rascal Umno,” he said.