The Malaysian Insight

INDEPENDENT candidate in the Port Dickson by-election Saiful Bukhari Azlan said he was not being sponsored and does not harbour an agenda against Anwar Ibrahim.

“Paid by someone? No, no. I am contesting in my own capacity. No one is paying for this or sponsoring me.

“I am here because I want to contest,” he said at the nomination centre this morning.

Saiful Bukhari added that he would not raise the sodomy issue in his campaign.

“I will not raise old issues. This is not about vengeance or revenge. This is purely me entering the democratic process.

“I am contesting to celebrate democracy. I am old enough to start my political career,” he said.

Yesterday, Saiful Bukhari had told The Malaysian Insight that he wanted to serve the people of Port Dickson and uphold democracy, which was disregarded by PKR when it removed a sitting MP to make way for Anwar.

“This is about me wanting to be a lawmaker and serve the people,” Saiful Bukhari had said.

When asked about Saiful Bukhari’s plans to contest in the polls, Anwar had last night merely shrugged and refused to comment.

Saiful Bukhari, Anwar’s former aide, had in 2008 claimed he was sodomised by Anwar and lodged a police report after a meeting with then deputy prime minister Najib Razak.

He subsequently testified at trial that he had kept Anwar’s semen in his anus for three days before lodging a report, which eventually led to the PKR leader’s jailing.

Anwar had always maintained his innocence and that he was a victim of a political conspiracy.

In May, Anwar was pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong soon after Pakatan Harapan captured power in the 14th general election. – September 29, 2018.