Former health minister Chua Soi Lek today accused his "political enemies" of orchestrating the release of a video showing him having sex with an unidentified woman in a hotel room.
"The press helped to kill me, to be honest," Chua, who is married with three children, told an impromptu press conference after clearing out his office.
The scandal engulfing Chua, 61, who resigned yesterday, is the latest in a series of problems facing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government ahead of elections which he is expected to call this year.
Chua -- the most senior minister to leave the government so far -- said the media's role in highlighting his work had led certain groups to target him, but he did not name any specific organisations, state news agency Bernama reported.
Chua was also vice-president of MCA, a key part of Abdullah's coalition government, before the scandal over the widely circulated tape sparked his resignation.
"The press will always say Dr Chua is one who may be mounting a challenge against the (MCA) deputy president, against the (MCA) president," he told Bernama.
"Who my enemies are, I really don't know."
Chua admitted on Tuesday that he was in the video, which has been splashed on the front pages of newspapers since the DVD started circulating in his home state of Johor last week.
Attempting to control the fallout from the scandal, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak downplayed the impact of Chua's resignation.
"I do not think that the matter will provide political mileage (for the opposition)," he said.
"It is not easy for a leader to arrive at such a decision," he was quoted as saying by Bernama, praising Chua for placing the interests of the party and government above his own by resigning.
Sex scandals among politicians are not uncommon in
No comments:
Post a Comment