KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders today expressed sympathy towards Selangor state executive council member Elizabeth Wong who is embroiled in a nude picture scandal.
Wong had last night lodged a police report after it surfaced that nude photos of her, apparently lifted off a video taken without her knowledge, had been distributed to several news organisations.
This comes despite Pakatan Rakyat (PR) believing that a witchhunt is being perpetrated by Barisan Nasional (BN) in a bid to topple its Selangor government.
On the back of the takeover of the Perak state government, speculation is rife that BN will also make a move to get Selangor assemblymen to cross over.
De facto Parliament Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz appeared to distance BN from any involvement in the circulation of the photos, saying he hoped the Bukit Lanjan assemblyman would “find the strength to endure this and ignore it.”
“This should not happen because she is an elected representative and is doing her job as one. To bring her down through such method is not good,” he said.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai also condemned the circulation of the photos and video, saying that such “pornography” was not part of Malaysian culture.
Disclaiming any knowledge of whether it was politically motivated, he said that the leaking of the material was “not ethical and is an invasion of privacy.”
“However, if the picture is a revelation of her lifestyle, then it is not right for a leader to adopt such a lifestyle,” he added.
Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad also said that while she has not seen the video, Wong’s privacy should be respected. “People should not do such a thing,” she said but added that elected representatives in the public sphere should be mindful of their conduct because they were now responsible to their constituents.
However, Selangor opposition chief Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo questioned Wong’s morality. “This is about morality, whether the pictures were taken with or without consent is another matter, I cannot accept a lawmaker whose morality is questionable,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider.
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