'Azmin preferred Pakatan Rakyat to Harapan, didn't back Dr M at first'

Seemingly peeved at Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's strong defence of the beleaguered Mohamed Azmin Ali, Rais Hussin has taken a swipe at the latter's contributions to Pakatan Harapan.

Rais, who sits on Bersatu's supreme council, took exception to some of the claims made in his party colleague's opinion piece titled 'Azmin Ali, the politician I know.'

"This is a new narrative," Rais tweeted over the weekend.

"The real narrative was and is: Azmin wanted Pakatan Rakyat more than Harapan.

"Azmin did not support @chedetofficial (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) as Harapan chairperson nor his candidacy as the prime minister before the 14th general election.

Syed Saddiq's opinion piece describes Azmin – who has been embroiled in a sex video scandal over the past week – as a "man of character" and one who "fought like a true general during GE14."

The Bersatu Youth chief also lauded Azmin's move to reunite with Mahathir as a decision to "prioritise national interest over a personal vendetta," and said that Harapan is "indebted to his strong will and strategic thinking that contributed to the win."

However, Rais (photo) said in response that the "truth must be told as it is. Please."

He also retweeted the words of former minister Zaid Ibrahim, who said that he was "tired of listening to hypocrites expressing horror about 'gutter politics'."

"Firstly there is no gutter politics, only gutter politicians. Second, is the video real or fake? That’s all I want to know," Zaid's tweet read.