Published February 18, 2009

Liz Wong offers to quit over nude photos

By S JAYASANKARAN
IN KUALA LUMPUR

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IN a move that could pave the way for yet another by-election in Malaysia, Selangor state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong, 37, yesterday offered to resign all her positions, including her state assembly seat, after nude photos of her asleep were circulated in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend

The photographs of Ms Wong, of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) led by Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, were the talk of the town on Monday but elicited largely sympathetic reactions from both sides of the political divide.

She is single and the photos are believed to have been taken by a former boyfriend, leading most newspapers to portray her as a victim.

Mr Anwar told the press yesterday that he wanted Ms Wong to 'reconsider' her decision but many analysts felt that she might have to go as the Opposition is generally compelled to take the moral high ground.

Even so, a PKR insider said the final decision would rest on the outcome of talks between the state's chief minister and the Selangor Sultan.

Indeed, when former health minister Chua Soi Lek was filmed on video having sex with his mistress in a hotel room last year, he only resigned his Cabinet post but did not vacate his parliamentary seat.

The PKR insider said that such a 'compromise' might be worked out in Ms Wong's case.

Ms Wong, a former human rights activist, broke down in tears during an emotional press conference and said she was offering to resign 'in the interest of the party'. But she was adamant that she had committed no offence.

'I have done no wrong and I am not ashamed of my sexuality as a woman and as a single person,' she told reporters and supporters, some of whom were weeping. 'I have broken no law and everyone has a right to privacy.'

While there have been some attacks on her character, notably by former chief minister Khir Toyo, most people seem sympathetic to Ms Wong's plight.

Even Law Minister Nazri Aziz, usually quick to lambast the Opposition, jumped to her defence. 'It is not good to use such tactics to sabotage her work,' he said. 'She should stay strong.'

Ms Wong won the state seat of Bukit Lanjan in Selangor by more than 5,009 votes in an outing that also saw the state falling to the Opposition for the first time since Independence.

But her ouster - if it happens, and the manner in which it's carried out - is likely to provoke a backlash against the ruling Barisan Nasional, which could spread to two other by-elections that are scheduled for early April in Perak and Kedah.