CHUA

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters):

Malaysia's health minister resigned yesterday, a day after he shocked the nation by admitting he was the man in a widely circulated sex video.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had accepted the resignation of Health Minister Chua Soi Lek, who apologised after two lengthy DVDs hit the streets showing him engaging in sexual acts with an unidentified woman.

The scandal is the latest in a series of problems plaguing Abdullah's government, which has been widely expected to call a snap election in the coming weeks.

"After I made my confession, I had hoped Malaysians would be able to accept my apology," he said. "Unfortunately, from the feedback I received, I observed that Malaysians cannot accept it."

"Some Malaysians have a holier-than-thou attitude," Chua, a doctor by training, told a packed news conference at his office. "At the end of the day, it just tells you that honesty sometimes does not pay."

Sharp rebuke

Chua, who said the woman was a "personal friend", had insisted on Tuesday he would not resign over the issue, drawing a sharp rebuke from people within and outside the government.

The New Straits Times, controlled by Abdullah's ruling party, said in a commentary that Chua should quit to save the government from further anguish.

Abdullah, a devout Muslim, won a record mandate in 2004 polls on a pledge to clean up the government and fight corruption.

"For a top politician you can't continue in power when you are seen naked," said political analyst Ooi Kee Beng.

The prime minister said he had been shocked by the news but stressed that the episode was unlikely to undermine his coalition's election preparations.