PETALING JAYA: Tanah Merah MP, Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz, has challenged anyone to show a photo of him smoking in the last 30 years. He made this statement after his special officer lodged a police report against photographer Sadiq Asyraf for circulating an image of the former allegedly vaping in the Dewan Rakyat. Ikmal asserted, “As I have said before, I was never a smoker and do not vape. If there is anyone who wants to accuse me of being a smoker, I dare them to provide a photo proof of me smoking in the last 30 years.” He condemned the accusation as political slander.
Ikmal’s special officer, Wan Mohd Faissol Ismail, lodged the police report at Dang Wang Wangi police station on Friday morning. The report was against a photo taken by Prime Minister’s photographer Sadiq Asyraf, which was uploaded on his X account. The caption of the photo stated, “Betul-betul koyak terus tarik vape sambil keluar dewan” (Unacceptable, immediately starts vaping while coming out of Dewan Rakyat). The photo was posted on September 21. Ikmal had previously denied vaping inside the Dewan Rakyat and claimed that the cylindrical object in the photo was a pen, not a vape device.
In response to the police report, Ikmal stated that he would be taking legal action against the photographer to demand an apology. He said, “The legal action is to demand that he apologizes over the defamation that has been done, which has affected my reputation and caused me to be a victim of social media due to the irresponsible post.” He believes that the widely circulated photo was a political move to tarnish his image and that of other Perikatan Nasional lawmakers.
Ikmal also mentioned receiving a letter from the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, requesting an explanation of the photo in question. While he has no issue providing an explanation, he requests the Speaker to examine the closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording to understand the actual situation. He also asks the Speaker to request Sadiq to hand over all the photos taken by him at the time. Ikmal claims that Sadiq deliberately chose a photo that made it appear as if he was vaping, when he was actually holding a pen. He considers this act extremely malicious and irresponsible.
The Star learned from Parliament sources on Thursday that an investigation is underway regarding the vaping allegations.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
