FORMER law minister Zaid Ibrahim must be held responsible for his comments about the Selangor sultan, Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said today.

“He must be held responsible for what he has said,” The Star Online reported Azmin saying at the investiture ceremony at Istana Alam Shah, held in conjunction with Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s 72nd birthday.

Zaid had blogged today that Azmin should join him on a road show to explain Zaid’s tweets about the sultan to the people.

“The Menteri Besar of Selangor said I have a responsibility to explain my two-line tweet to the people. I will, but he must come along. He fully understands my tweet and the circumstances and context it was made in, so he can join me on a road show. He is a brave man, because in doing so he might upset the Ruler. That’s probably why no one has come out openly talking about the issue,” Zaid wrote on his blog.

Zaid, who joined DAP this year, had tweeted last week that the Selangor ruler should be “careful with his words” and that “no one is immune when the country burns”, in relation to the sultan’s interview with The Star, in which he described Dr Mahathir Mohamad as an angry leader whose “anger would burn the whole country”.

The Selangor ruler subsequently chided Zaid, saying Zaid could “go back to Kelantan if he disagrees” .

“Don’t make a living in Selangor. I am disappointed with Zaid Ibrahim’s comments on Twitter with regard to my interview with The Star.

“I ask Zaid Ibrahim to read my statement carefully and get the facts right before opening his mouth,” Sultan Sharafuddin told Utusan in an exclusive interview.

Zaid’s tweet caused Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos to burn cardboard cutouts of the DAP member at the recent Umno annual general assembly. 

Jamal also used a sledgehammer to smash a picture of Zaid and threatened to hammer the his head him for criticising the sultan. Jamal was arrested on Saturday and released on bail today.

Zaid has defended his tweet, saying he was defending the people’s right to decide on politics and governance. – December 11, 2017.