KULIM: Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir should leave Barisan Nasional (BN) out of the issue concerning allegations that he had engaged data analyst company Cambridge Analytica’s (CA) services during the previous general election, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said.
Mahdzir, who is also Kedah BN and Umno liaison committee deputy chairman said Mukhriz - who is former Kedah Menteri Besar Parti, should not drag BN into the controversy after the latter’s former media officer Azrin Zizal had revealed the matter.
Azrin had revealed that Mukhriz had engaged CA’s services while contesting for the Ayer Hitam state seat in Jerlun, Kedah, five years ago.
Mahdzir said as a member of the Kedah Umno and BN liaison committee between 2008 to 2013, the company's name was never once mentioned in their meetings or discussions.
"Both Datuk Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir (Kulim/Bandar Baharu member of Parliament) and me were in the state BN and Umno liaison committee and we con say for sure that Cambridge Analytica’s name was never mentioned in our meetings during the five year period.
"Mukhriz only joined the committee as the 13th General Election loomed closer and even if there was any involvement of the company, it could be for his personal use.
"Hence, when his former aide accused him of engaging the company's services for himself, Mukhriz should not drag BN into the issue," he told reporters after attending a gathering with teachers and retired teachers at Kulim/Bandar Baharu District Education Office here today.
Mahdzir, who is also Education Minister, was responding to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah's statement yesterday brushing off claims that it was the Kedah BN which had engaged CA or its parent company SCL Group for the party's campaign in the GE13 five years ago.
Bashah, who was also the state BN chairman and Kedah general election machinery director at that time, said BN was not involved with CA as the party had only engaged the services of local higher learning institutions.
He did not rule out the possibility that Mukhriz could have engaged the company for his personal use when contesting the Ayer Hitam state seat five years ago as a BN candidate.
Recently, Channel 4 broadcasting in London exposed that a senior officer with the data analysis company had admitted to being involved in the general election process in several countries, including Malaysia.
It was reported last week that CA had been accused of extracting the personal data of up to 50 million Facebook users without consent for use in the United States presidential campaign to help Donald Trump.
SCL Group’s Southeast Asia division head Azrin Zizal had taken Mukhriz to task for denying that the latter had engaged Cambridge Analytica’s services in the last general election.
Azrin, who is a former media officer for Mukhriz when the latter was serving the Ministry of International Trade and Industry between 2008 and 2013, accused the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) deputy president of lying over the Cambridge Analytica’s role in helping him in GE13.
He was reported as saying that Mukhriz's allegation that Cambridge Analytica had worked for BN was not true, as the company had provided services to Mukhriz personally.
