FORMER law minister Zaid Ibrahim said a sense of responsibility to democracy led to him making a statement on social media regarding the sultan of Selangor.

Zaid, who gave his statements to the police at the Bukit Aman police headquarters today, said he explained the reasons behind the tweet he sent last week which has earned him criticisms for allegedly disrespecting the sultan.

“That was my statement and I felt responsible to explain the role of the constitutional monarchy, how we should protect the country and retain the democracy system in the country by understanding what should be done by everyone,” Zaid told reporters outside the police station.
  
Zaid said the police were professional during the session and questioned him mainly about his tweet.

“It’s (the session) about the tweet because I was the one who said the Selangor sultan had to be cautious in making his statement and I explained the tweet was a response towards the sultan’s statement on Dr Mahathir (Mohamad),” he said.

Zaid has said his tweet was not in defence of Dr Mahathir, but to defend the rights of the people to decide on politics and governance. 

In an ongoing feud between Dr Mahathir and Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the ruler had told a local daily last week the former prime minister was someone with an inferiority complex whose anger “would burn the country”.

In response, Zaid tweeted: “The Selangor sultan should be careful with his words. No one is immune when country burns.”

His tweet earned him criticism from sultan, who said Zaid has always “opposed the royal institution”.  

Zaid’s tweet also led to Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos threatening to “smash his head in” if no apology was made to the sultan.

The tift between Sultan Sharafuddin and Dr Mahathir started when the royal ruler was upset by the Pakatan Harapan chairman’s comments about Prime Minister Najib Razak being a descendent of “Bugis pirates”.

Dr Mahathir’s comments earned him criticisms from not only the Selangor ruler, who is of Bugis descendent, but also from the Bugis in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Also present today with Zaid to give his statement to the police was Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and DAP committee member Ronnie Liu. – December 13, 2017.