Ahmad Idham, Eizlan deny having interests to join politics

SHAH ALAM - Filmmakers Dr Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nazri and Datuk Seri Eizlan Yusof has denied having any interests in joining politics.

In a virtual press conference today, they said the allegation that they both planned to contest in the 15th General Election (GE15) was untrue.

“I was too busy focusing on bridging the gap between the Malaysian arts scene and embassies abroad rather than being involved in politics.

“We were not being paid to do this, we are here to be of service to the nation,” Ahmad Idham said.

He said within four months, he had managed to form a cultural diplomacy unit.

Among the ongoing projects, he said were showcases on short films and documentaries, as well as the implementation of Bahasa Malaysia classes in embassies worldwide.

In fact, he said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah could attest to their lack of interest in politics, as Saifuddin knew about their political stances.

“If I was interested, I would not have signed up for it this way. I would have immediately gone to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and present myself,” he added.

Ahmad Idham also said there were no shortage of job offers for him.

“I have received offers left and right, even from the Chief Secretary to the government (KSU) himself,” he added.

When asked about their political aspirations, both Ahmad Idham and Eizlan were tight lipped, but said that they will go through the “right channels” if they wanted to join politics.

In the meantime, the duo said they were still looking for answers as to why their contract with the ministry was terminated for no reason in the first place.

Yesterday, Sinar Daily reported that the contracts of the two actors’ and that of Saifuddin's private secretary Datuk Fizal Fauzi with the Foreign Ministry had been terminated.

Prior to the appointment, Ahmad Idham was the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chief executive officer.

He resigned from the position to join Saifuddin at the ministry.

A source close to the ministry said the two celebrities were hoping to get seat allocations to contest for the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15) under Bersatu’s ticket.

He said they had high political aspirations and were hoping to be endorsed by Saifuddin, who is also Perikatan Nasional Pahang chairman.

This, he said, was not welcomed by party members as they did not carry much weight in politics and had no grassroots.