Saiful Bukhari Who Is Running Against Anwar In PD Says "Felt Good" To Meet His Former Boss
Anwar was accused and jailed for sodomising his former aide Saiful a decade ago.
In the Port Dickson by-election, PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim has an unexpected candidate running against him: Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, his former aide who accused him of sodomising
Saiful, who is running against his former boss as an independent, is one of the seven people in the race for Port Dickson seat
He claims that he wants to move on from his past controversies with Anwar, adding that his decision to go against his former teacher was not motivated by revenge.
"It happened in the past. I believe justice has been served and he (Anwar) had served time," Saiful was quoted saying by NST Online outside the nomination centre at the Port Dickson Municipal Council hall earlier today, 29 September.
"My narrative is not about the case. I want to move forward.
"I do not want to talk about the past. The decision for me to contest is not because of a grudge against my former employer. It is not about vengeance," the former aide of Anwar said, adding that he is not "contesting for personal reasons".
The 33-year-old also claimed that he is running against Anwar at his own accord and no one is behind him, saying he "will not raise anything about the sodomy case."
According to Saiful, both β Anwar and he β are mature enough to be cordial with one another and that it felt good to meet him
"It has been a long time (since we met). It feels good. We are mature enough in this new democratic era; we just said 'Hi'," Saiful said after he was officially named a candidate in the Port Dickson by-election, scheduled to be held on 13 October.
When asked about the reason he chose to contest in Port Dickson instead of in previous by-elections if he was not personally motivated against Anwar, Saiful said: "Port Dickson is a good platform for young politicians to grow. There is nothing wrong with going against your former teacher."