PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has denied lashing out at PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali in audio clips that went viral today.

Speaking to reporters, the former opposition leader said it was not in his character to use foul language on others.

“I don’t use foul language. It is not my language. Don’t be fooled by slander,” Anwar said.

Asked if the audio clip was made by Umno as an attempt to disorganise PKR, Anwar a former Umno member before his sacking in 1998, refused to blame his old party.

“I don’t know. But it is unhealthy for PKR because our party election is near,” he added.

Anwar then said he did not speak at any other occasion, even after the new board members of Khazanah was announced.

“I only speak in Sungai Kandis. I did not speak at any other place. Even after Khazanah was announced I didn’t give any speech.

“The clip, if you heard it, it was out of tune,” Anwar explained.

Earlier today an audio clip of a voice believed to be from Anwar Ibrahim went viral on social media.

The voice can be heard slamming Azmin as Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “barua (lackey)”.

However, PKR leaders have dismissed the recordings as fake.

One of them, PKR communications chief Fahmi Fadzil, told Malaysiakini that when Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail heard the voice, she remarked, “That is not my husband.”

The three recordings, which are less than 10 seconds each, are circulating on WhatsApp.

In the first, the voice states that he is pitting vice-president Rafizi Ramli against Azmin for the deputy president’s post because the latter is aligned to Dr Mahathir.

Before leaving an event in Bandar Puteri near Sungai Kandis, Anwar reiterated that there was no truth in the audio.

“I don’t think we are stupid enough to be that gullible. But then we have to just deny because it’s not true. No basis in there. No truth,” he said.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, Rafizi, vice-president Chua Tian Chang, Women’s chief Zuraida Kamaruddin and deputy Youth chief Afif Bahardin also dismissed the recordings as unauthentic with the intent to create disharmony. – August 2, 2018.