[Daim tidak perlu bising kerana jika dia terhumban Mahathir pun mungkin lingkup sama. Banyak pihak yang 'under-estimate' Daim dan rangkaiannya - termasuk Mahathir sendiri. Mahathir sebenarnya takut juga kepada Daim sebab itulah digunakan pihak ketiga. Ini tidak ubah seperti kes Anwar cumanya Daim mungkin tidak bertindakbalas secara terbuka. Dengan wang ditangannya ramai yang sanggup menjadi hamba secara diam yang tentunya akan menyusahkan Mahathir dan Khalid Jafri juga... kerana mereka ini 'berniaga' belaka. - Editor]

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/
asia/story/0,1870,55359,00.html?

New book hits out at Daim and family

Khalid Jafri, who wrote a book that started Anwar's fall, casts aspersions on the former finance minister, and says Mahathir must investigate him

By Brendan Pereira
MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT

KUALA LUMPUR - The author of the book that signalled Anwar Ibrahim's fall from grace is back.

This time, Khalid Jafri is after former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.

In a 282-page book titled Tun Daim - The Rogue, he savages the former minister, his second wife, prominent businessman Tan Sri Halim Saad and casts aspersions on his family's involvement in business.

In the foreword, he suggests that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be respected if he investigated all the allegations being made against his trusted lieutenant.

Khalid said he took three months to do research for the book and obtained information from various sources.

His aim: expose what has happened in the interest of the public and country.

'I stand behind what I have written. I am prepared to be sued and brought to court if what I have written is false,' said the former editor with the Utusan Melayu publishing group.

He has some experience of being hauled to court.

In 1998, he wrote the book 50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Be The PM.

It contained damaging accusations against the former deputy prime minister and alleged that he was involved in sexual misconduct and political shenanigans.

Anwar lodged a police report, believing that people who wanted to end his political career were behind the publication.

The police investigation that followed turned out to be a double-edged sword.

It led to Khalid being charged with maliciously publishing news, an offence that carries a sentence of up to three years in jail.

After three years, the case is still before the courts.

It also led to Anwar being charged with using his position in government to obstruct a probe into allegations of sexual misconduct. He was convicted and sentenced to six years in jail.

Those in Tun Daim's circle believed that the latest book was bankrolled by a senior government politician, who felt slighted when several of his ideas for projects and appeals for contracts were turned down by the former finance minister.

They argued that Tun Daim made many enemies with his no-nonsense approach, especially when dealing with Umno politicians.

Now that he has resigned from all the government positions, 'his enemies' are looking to hit back.

Whatever may be the motivation of the author and his backer, it appears that Tun Daim's plan to leave the scene quietly and without fuss is not going according to script.

For weeks following his resignation, Dr Mahathir faced a host of questions from the media on whether his former minister was being investigated, under house arrest or had his passport impounded.

The Prime Minister dismissed all the allegations. Now comes Khalid's book.

Tun Daim is in a no-win situation.

If he keeps quiet, he will give a dose of credibility to what has been alleged.

If he lodges a police report, it is not going to stop the book from being circulated.