Home minister says ‘Anwar-Zahid’ audio recording needs verification, but nothing wrong with the content

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said today he sees no problem with the issues discussed in an audio recording purportedly involving Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi.

The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia secretary-general said it is up to Umno if it wishes to work with PKR, and there is no issue if Anwar is really a mentor to Zahid due to their history in Umno.

“I listened to the conversation. The conversation is basically Zahid admitting that Anwar was his teacher. Is it wrong for Anwar to be Zahid’s mentor?

“Why are they getting so angry for? I’m curious myself,” he told reporters after launching the National Immigration Systems here.

“Secondly, is it wrong for Umno to work with PKR? It is up to them,” he added.

He insisted that should the recording be proven fake it is slanderous, but if true than it will negate Anwar’s claim that he commands the majority in the Parliament since there is no cooperation between PKR and Umno.

“So if both of them said ‘no, we have not discussed any cooperation between the parties’, then that means there is no cooperation between the parties.

“So why is there a need to send a letter to the Agong?” he asked.

An audio recording of a phone conversation between two people with voices resembling that of Anwar and Zahid was leaked on the internet.

The four-minute clip was first posted on Facebook and started with Zahid’s speech during the recent Umno general assembly, in which he said the party would not accept Anwar, DAP or Bersatu as allies.

It was followed by the phone conversation, with the speaker who sounded like Anwar praising the other for the speech.

Zahid has since expressed his shock and disappointment at the recording, calling it fake and an attempt to weaken and destroy Umno, while Anwar has also rejected the audio recording, similarly calling it fake and slanderous and the latest ploy by “some elements in the government leadership” to damage inter-party ties within the Opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition ahead of GE15.