PERMATANG PAUH, Aug 23 — Opposition icon Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not the only politician under a cloud at the Permatang Pauh by-election.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last night was forced to swear in a mosque near here that he did not know murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
This is not the first time that the country’s prime-minister-in-waiting has invoked the name of religion in defence against a raft of allegations that he knew Altantuya or was involved in her death in October 2006.
He did so in his constituency in Pekan several weeks ago. That he found it necessary to do so again is a sure sign that these accusations continue to have traction on the ground.
Najib has been leading the Barisan Nasional machinery for the Permatang Pauh by-election and has been baiting Anwar over the sodomy charge the latter is facing.
The DPM has been driving home the point that Anwar’s accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, has taken an oath at the Federal Territory mosque that he was sodomised by the Opposition leader.
In response, Pakatan Rakyat supporters have taken to chanting “Altantuya Altantuya’’ while Anwar has promised to expose Najib’s other alleged failings.
With the by-election only days away and the fight for the Malay vote intensifying, Najib last night said: “Wallahi, Wabillahi, Watallahi (With Allah as my witness) I swear I do not know or have any connection with the Mongolian national Altantuya.
“I do not know if others want to swear or not but I know I did no wrong. This is between me and God,” he said at the mosque where he gave aid of RM1.4 million to repair, renovate and buy new equipment for mosques.
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His present oath, according to the above report, is in the present tense and in the present tense he is telling the truth for he cannot, in the present, know and have connection with Altantuya for the simple reason that she is dead - murdered by someone or some people.
The critical question is in the past tense. Did Najib know and have connection with Altantuya. To that question he did not and has not made his oath. He thinks Malaysians are stupid but little does he realize that Malaysians know their tenses as well. If Najid wishes to swear an oath concerning his relationship with Altantuya, why doesn't he do it in the past tense? Something smells fishy here!