Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference at Sasana Kijang in Kuala Lumpur July 23, 2019. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — As Pakatan Harapan (PH) continues to be rocked by a sex scandal, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he is not a tool for anyone, let alone those who employ gutter tactics, to impede the political career of a member of his Cabinet.

Taking to his blog and without naming anyone, Dr Mahathir reiterated that the viralled sex videos were aimed to “specifically obstruct the political success of certain individual”.

“I will not be manipulated. What more by a plotter who has bad intention and resorts to gutter politics.

“This is not a question of morality. It’s a political issue. It will be settled as a political issue,” he wrote.

Showing that he is aware of the political machinations going on around him, the PH chairman asserted that the mastermind behind the scandal is hoping for the sacking of those caught on video.

“I can take that action because I have the power. When I resort to that action, then the party which planned this heinous deed would succeed.

“My faith prohibits spying to find the fault of others. What was done was worse than peeping,” he added.

The viralled sex videos featuring two men first emerged in May and is still under police investigation.

A former government aide from the Ministry of Primary Industries Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz has stepped forward confessing to be one of the two in the video and claiming his partner was Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who is also PKR deputy president.

Azmin has consistently denied the affair, denouncing the sex videos as an attempt to kill his political career.

Eleven people have been arrested for investigation, including Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak who is the political secretary to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Bloomberg today reported the sex scandal to benefit Dr Mahathir the most.

Citing three political analysts, the international news wire reported that Anwar’s political career will end if he is proven to be the mastermind while Azmin’s reputation will be dented as long as his name is tied to the videos while Dr Mahathir as the Bersatu chairman who has distanced himself from the issue as internal to PKR, stands the most to gain.