DESPITE the negative publicity surrounding Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, who confessed to have engaged in sex acts with Azmin Ali, his former colleagues in the PKR Santubong division have pledged their support for the former student activist.

The division’s leaders said Haziq’s position as youth chief remains safe, despite the circulation of a sex video purportedly showing him and Azmin in a hotel room.

“Haziq’s sex videos have nothing to do with the division,” its secretary, Azian Mantaril, told The Malaysian Insight.

She said rather than dwelling on the scandal, the division would rather focus on strengthening the party to face the next state elections.

“We, particularly the Santubong women, are more focused on advancing our political agenda, the people’s agenda and strengthening our position.

“Let the authorities conduct the investigation without prejudice.”

The division chief Ahmad Nazib Johari did not pick nor return calls nor reply to questions by The Malaysian Insight on the Haziq case.

However, on the day the videos were made public, Nazib told local TV portal The Sarawak Edition that Haziq was not the man featured in the clips.

He claimed he have managed to contact Haziq on the same day that the sex footages became viral and in their conversation, Haziq denied being the man in a subsequent video confessing to having had sex with Azmin, and urging the authorities to investigate the minister for corruption.

However, several parties have since cast doubts as to the validity of Nazib’s claims that he had spoken to Haziq.

Haziq’s own family friend earlier told reporters in Kuching that the last time any family member spoke to him was Tuesday night when he called his father to inform him that he would be travelling to Paris with “his boss”, referring to Deputy Primary Industries Minister Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

Haziq is Shamsul’s principle private secretary.

And while the Santubong division is officially backing its youth chief, some leaders said they are yet to be convinced that Haziq is totally blameless.

Haziq, described by his former fellow student activists as highly ambitious and politically driven, is no stranger to controversy, starting with his election as youth chief uncontested.

Haziq’s predecessor, Abdul Raafidin Majidi, said he objected to Haziq’s candidacy in the party polls.

Last September, Raafidin questioned Haziq’s membership and eligibility to contest the polls.

Raafidin said Haziq, whose party membership number is Q 0200001785, never registered as a member and hence ineligible to contest party elections.

He also said Haziq’s candidacy as Santubong youth chief was revoked by the party’s election committee.

“I still can’t understand why he could still contest despite our objections. Maybe you have to ask Rafizi Ramli about it,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Rafizi was the secretary-general then.

A formal objection on Haziq’s candidacy was made by another division member, Jazolkipli Numan, 55.

Jazolkipli in his complaint via the party’s “borang bantahan” (objection form) said Haziq had “openly campaigned” for then Barisan Nasional’s Batang Sadong MP and former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri in the 14th general election last year.

During the campaign, Haziq openly criticised and insulted PKR, he said. – June 17, 2019.