'My friend is not a terrorist': member of Malaysian opposition party defends captain of missing flight MH370

A well-connected friend of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah has leapt to his defence as speculation mounts over who was responsible for the disappearance of the Boeing 777.

An aide to a Malaysian member of parliament with strong links to the most controversial figure in the country's politics in recent times - Anwar Ibrahim - has told the Sunday Morning Post that Zaharie is a close friend and fellow member of Anwar's opposition People's Justice Party.

Peter Chong, 51, secretary to People's Justice Party MP Sivarasa Rasiah, who represented Anwar in his recent sodomy court case, has described 53-year-old Zaharie as a "caring man and a professional and dedicated pilot" who always puts the safety of his passengers first.

Chong, who first met Zaharie two years ago, said they struck up a close relationship and spoke regularly. The last time he spoke to Zaharie was a week before the missing flight took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

"We basically ran into each other so we did not spend much time together, but we said we would meet after he returned from Beijing," he said. "There was nothing unusual about him that time, and nothing unusual in the recent few months also," Chong told the Post.

Chong describes Zaharie as a "confidant" and "fellow activist" on his Twitter account,