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01 April 2012| last updated at 11:18PM

Shahrir Samad the subject of April Fool’s joke

By Ahmad Fairuz Othman

2 comments

JOHOR BARU: It was a day of practical jokes, but no one thought that Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad would have been the subject of one.

   A blog posting supposedly about Johor Baru member of Parliament Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad leaving Umno to join Pas has left the former minister quite dumbfounded.
   Shahrir said he found it hillarious that some people could actually believe such a thing.
   "I had a good laugh because people who know me well would know it was a joke. It's an April Fool's joke."
  He also rubbished any suggestion that he would join his younger brother, Khalid Samad, who is Pas MP for Shah Alam, and join the opposition party's struggle.
  "I have been in politics much longer than he (Khalid) has. Anyway the story does not make sense, and I believe the story could have been concocted by Pas members," said Shahrir.
  Meanwhile, Khalid had told the online version of Pas' party organ, HarakahDaily that such a story was a rumour.
   The blog posting on adukataruna.blogspot.com related about a supposed press conference which turned violent, after Shahrir supposedly made an announcement of his resignation from Umno to join Pas.
  The blog said Shahrir, who is also Johor Baru Umno division chief, was bringing along 2,000 party members to join Pas.
  The blog went on about certain Umno members creating a ruckus in an attempt to derail Shahrir's press conference.
  Johor Baru Umno treasurer Raihan Baba said the blog was obviously making up a rumour because a link below the blog posting led to the Wikipedia page on April Fool's Day.
  There was no such press conference in Shahrir's itinerary yesterday. He had launched a Rela (People's Volunteer Corps) platoon in Bandar Baru Uda, here in the late afternoon.

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