KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Kedah caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has claimed that plans to destroy his credibility was done six months ahead of his arrest for seditious statements on July 18.

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) election chairman said people to him close had warned him that there were people plotting to take action against him following his critical comments against certain parties.

“I have my own set of ‘intelligence’ who notified me of a plot against me six months ago. I now carry a gun with two full magazines, 14 bullets in each one, 24 hours a day in case someone tries to harm me.

“For six months they’ve been warning me, I got this from my own set of ‘intelligence’ who told me there was something brewing,” Sanusi was quoted saying in a Berita Harian report today.

“The main thing they wanted to do was to put me in handcuffs, make me lose my credibility and morale and thus people won’t listen to my speeches as I would’ve been humiliated by the arrest,” he said.

Last week Sanusi was arrested at 3am and the same day pleaded not guilty to two charges of sedition in the Selayang Sessions Court.

He was charged under Section 4(1)(A) of the Sedition Act for statements made on July 11 that insulted the Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah during a speech in Gombak.

Sanusi said after he was read his charge sheet in court and pleaded not guilty he was not given a copy of the two charge sheets.

He also accused the ‘higher-ups’ of forcing the police to arrest him.

“I respect the police and do not blame them as they were given orders from a ministerial level, they were forced (to arrest me). The public prosecutor also did not give me the charge sheet, they said I have to buy it online,” he added.

Five members of the Selangor Royal Council filed a police complaint against Sanusi for allegedly questioning the authority of the Selangor royal institution in the appointment of the state’s menteri besar.

Sanusi later apologised but maintained that his words were twisted by his political rivals.

Police received a total of 57 complaints from the public against the PAS politician up to July 15.

Apart from the caretaker Kedah menteri besar, the police are also investigating PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng for offences under the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Sedition Act 1948.