“Of course we will investigate all the reports that we have received,” home minister Hamzah Zainudin was quoted as saying by Bernama today.
“First of all, we will investigate the authenticity and whether there was such a conversation. If not, then it means that the recording was made to slander (Zahid and Anwar).
“So there are two things here. First, the conversation and whether it was genuine, and second, what was the content of this conversation. Was it accurate or not?,” he said during a press conference after attending the launch of the National Integrated Immigration System (NIIS) project.
Both Zahid and Anwar have denied having any conversation after Umno’s annual general assembly last month.
Speaking at a PKR event last night, opposition leader Anwar said the recording was an attempt by the country’s leaders to resort to tricks after failing to threaten or induce the people into supporting them.
Zahid, meanwhile, said that the recording was a malicious political ploy to bring down Umno.
In his opening speech at Umno’s assembly on March 28, Zahid said the party would contest under the Barisan Nasional (BN) banner in the next general election (GE15) and stressed that the party’s Supreme Council had also decided on “No PPBM, no Anwar, no DAP”.
In the recording, a man sounding like Anwar said that this was his first time following the Umno assembly in 22 years, to which another man who sounded like Zahid said: “Don’t worry, that is only tactical.”
In the four-minute recording, “Anwar” praised Zahid’s speech and said he was “very proud” of him, while the pair also confirmed a meeting on Tuesday night that week.
Meanwhile, commenting on the recent repatriation of Myanmar nationals, Hamzah said the government would repatriate any foreigner who was found guilty of committing a crime in Malaysia and had completed his or her sentence.
“Any foreigner who is guilty here, when it’s time for us to send them home, we will send them home,” he said.
“Why do we want to detain people (foreigners) who live in this country and have served their punishment? Why do we want to hold them and pay costs of around RM30 a day per person?,” he said.
While the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted an interim stay to stop the government from going ahead with the deportation of around 1,200 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers on Feb 23, the Immigration Department allowed three Myanmar navy vessels to repatriate them from the Lumut naval base in Perak hours later.
Non-governmental organisations had expressed concern that minority Chin, Kachin and non-Rohingya communities fleeing conflict and persecution in Myanmar were among those deported.
Three United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) document holders and 17 minors who had at least one parent still in Malaysia were also believed to be among those deported.