KAJANG: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has dismissed concerns over a viral fake letter of him asking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down.

Zahid said he strongly believes the letter is defamatory.

“(The culprit) knows (about my and Najib’s) official and personal relationship, going back to when Najib was the Umno Youth chief and the Youth and Sports Minister.

He said the Royal Malaysia Police had received more than 20 police reports regarding the letter and would investigate alongside the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Ahmad Zahid also denied accusations by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that more than 700,000 Chinese nationals would be brought into the Forest City project in Johor Baru, saying there was no such plan.

“We have never intended to do so and have never done such things … just like how they have previously accused us of bringing in 40,000 Bangladeshis during the last general election,” he said.

He said these were merely tactics of dividing the party and disrupting his good relations with the party president.

Dr Mahathir had claimed the Chinese citizens would be given identity cards to enable them to vote in the coming general election.

On Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s green light to kill Filipino militants, Ahmad Zahid did not comment if the government would respond to the call, but acknowledged that kidnap for ransom must be deemed a serious crime.

“We acknowledge Duterte’s commitment to eliminate these threats, and there is already a tripartite agreement among us, Indonesia and Philippine (on the pursuit of miltants),” he said,

On Wednesday, Duterte was reported as relaying a conversation he had with Najib and Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo, in which he told both leaders their security forces could enter Philippine waters to pursue militants fleeing with the victims they kidnapped.

“Bomb them. If they cannot be captured, you bomb them,” he was reported as saying.

“How about the hostages? Eh, bomb them also.”

The Abu Sayyaf militant group is behind numerous kidnapping-for-ransom incidents around Sabah waters, allegedly to finance their terrorism activities.

Manila has allowed Malaysian authorities to enter their country’s waters to pursue militants and on Thursday, three were shot dead by security forces.

“They see my good relationship with the Prime Minister, they are jealous of our unity, so they try to make us clash,” he said at a press conference after closing the Indian Progressive Front’s (IPF) 26th general assembly here today.

The hoax letter also includes a list of new Cabinet members under Zahid’s administration once he takes over the number one post.

Zahid said it is clear that the person who penned the fake letter committed three major offences, namely, forging his signature, using official government material, and spreading lies.

“The letterhead used is not original, and the posts mentioned were also not according to protocol or present guidelines,” he said.

Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said he has been informed that police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are probing the case, with over 20 police reports received so far.

On his advice to grassroots members who may have been influenced by the letter, Zahid said they should show the detractors how close of a bond they have.

“There have been many political bullets fired at us. We need to deflect all these lies thrown at us.

“What is important for us is to show how close the relationship is among leaders and members from all component parties,” he added.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd