Shahrizat: PKR duo 'poisoned' BN ears

Shahrizat, all these very senior and seasoned UMNO leaders you mentioned must be idiots to be conned by a couple of PKR young guns - 1Christians

Hafiz Yatim 2:34PM Oct 15, 2012

Ex-minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has pinpointed the “poison” planted by two PKR leaders as the sole factor behind calls by BN veterans and leaders for her resignation from her cabinet post.

She said this when being cross-examined for the third day in the RM100 million defamation lawsuit she has filed against the duo in the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Shahrizat pinned the blame squarely on the respondents, PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli and Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, for the furore over the National Feedlot Centre which is managed by a company operated by her family-members.

She was shown copies of news reports of calls for her resignation by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Wanita Umno head Rafidah Aziz, Gerakan deputy president Chang Ko Youn, MCA Youth leader Loh Chew June, Cheras Umno chief Syed Ali Al Habshee and Kalabakan MP Abdul Ghapur Salleh.

Rafidah had described Shahrizat as being a problem to Umno, while Loh had commented that BN ‘safe seats” would become unsafe if she did not resign from her post as women, family and community development minister.

“All the calls are as a result of the defamation by the (respondents). I disagree that I am a liability to Umno, BN or the government in the face of the general election,” Shahrizat said.

However, she told lawyer Ranjit Singh, representing Rafizi, that she does not want to sue the BN leaders including Mahathir.

Ranjit: Are you saying that these leaders, including Rafidah and Mahathir, are being influenced by the opposition parties including the defendants?

Shahrizat: Absolutely.

Ranjit: None of these leaders who asked you to resign would have done their own fact-checking without making the statements.

Shahrizat: I would not know.

Ranjit: Are you saying that my clients brainwashed these people?

Shahrizat: I know they .... were involved in political assassination (of me).

She agreed that, since members of her family had received a RM250 million government soft loan for the feedlot project, the public are allowed to place her under scrutiny but “should not resort to defaming someone” in the process.

‘Attacks so evil’
The former minister was testifying in her RM100 milion defamation suit against Rafizi and Zuraida.
Shahrizat also agreed with Ranjit's suggestion that his client was like Carlos the Jackal.

Carlos the Jackal  is the Venezuelan-born terrorist who killed two French counter-intelligence agents and an informant for the French government.

Shahrizat described the attacks by Rafizi and Zuraida as being “orchestrated and so evil”, as these had also questioned her responsibilities as a wife, mother, woman and leader.

She affirmed the contents of a newspaper report in which she was quoted as saying that she does not want to be a burden to the government.

Shahrizat also agreed that she announced her resignation on March 11, 2012 although the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had cleared her of any involvement in influencing the cabinet to give the project to her family.

However, she disagreed that she had a sudden change of heart in March, and that her real decision came after a family discussion that she should resign.

“It wasn't a sudden change of heart. Following the evil strategy by the opposition. I talked to my family and we agreed that I should resign and take steps to clear the name of my family and myself,” she explained.
“I disagree with your suggestions that I could have resigned on that day (in March). I did not want to throw in the towel and leave my ministry high and dry. When I step down I would do so with dignity and grace and I do not want to leave anybody in the lurch,” she said.