REFORMASI MEMASUKI FASA KETIGA: MENDAPAT ORANG BARU

Tragedi yang menimpa Anwar telah membuat ramai mula sedar. Semalam Harakah melapurkan sasterawan Negara Dato' Syed Ahmad Jamal dan Dato' Usman Awang adalah antara mereka yang mendesak Anwar diberikan pilihan rawatannya sendiri. Tidak ketinggalan turut serta adalah Kemala. Perjuangan reformasi kini seperti sudah memasuki fasa ketiga. Ia mencetus simpati yang menggegarkan negara.

Patutlah Mahathir mula mengurangkan liabilitinya dan menangkap beberapa aktivis dibawah ISA untuk menghadapinya. Tetapi tindakan itu mendapat bangkangan dari dalam komponen BN sendiri sehingga ia terkeluar di akhbar. Nyatalah simpati berperanan di sini.

Seorang wakil Gerakan, Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon telah menyelar ISA secara terbuka sehingga pimpinan Gerakan terpaksa mententeramkan keadaan dengan memberitahu 'beliau berhak dengan pendapat sendiri'.

"Tiada sesiapa pun patut ditahan tanpa bicara," kata Toh.

"Kes atau kes-kes terhadap mereka mesti dibuktikan di mahkamah," tamabh beliau lagi.

MAHATHIR MENGURANGKAN LIABILITI

Mahathir kini kelihatan cuba mengurangkan liabiliti. Mula-mula Daim diistiharkan bercuti 2 bulan agar timbul spekulasi. Ini akan menyelamatkan sedikit serangan berbau kroni dan korupsi. Kini Mokhzani pula mengisytiharkan berundur 'nama' dari dunia koporat untuk menghadang kritikan berbau nepostisma terhadap dirinya dan bapanya.

Daim terjerut di dalam kes time dotCom - Halim Saad dan MAS - Tajuddin Ramli. Mokhzani pula dalam isu kontrak RM1.2 bilion pusat persidangan baru ala PWTC, iaitu NECC. Pusat itu akan dibina di bekas LTAB Subang. Kamunting dikatakan mendapat tender itu dan Mokhzani mempunyai kepentingan majoriti secara tidak langsung di dalamnya melalui unit syarikat E&O. Tetapi Mahathir mengatakan cuma 0.2% sahaja sedangkan edgedaily.com telah mendedahkan dia telah menguasai syarikat itu. Satu pihak telah berkata tidak benar tetapi tiada tindakkan guaman pun diambil.... sekaligus menampakkan di mana kebenaran itu berpijak sebenarnya.

MAHATHIR CAMPURTANGAN BIDANG DAIM

Daim seperti biasa mengatakan loyalti atau sokongan beliau kepada PM 'tidak bergoncang' pun. Tetapi sikapnya banyak berubah sejak kes penggabungan bank tempoh hari. Menteri Kewangan itu pada awalnya ingin 6 buah bank menjadi tunggak penggabungan dimana beliau telah memilih sebuah bank kecil, Multi-Purpose Bank yang dikawal oleh rakan karibnya untuk menelan bank lain yang lebih besar seperti RHB Bank dan PhileoAllied Bank.

Mahathir menterbalikkan keputusan itu setelah dilobi hebat oleh Quek Leng Chan (Hong Leong Bank), Rashid Hussain (RHB Bank) dan Azman Hashim (Arab-Malaysian).

Perlantikkan dua penasihat ekonomi yang baru menggambarkan kerenggangan hubungan Daim-Mahathir. (Daim pernah 'menendang' Ali Abul Hassan untuk diganti dengan Zetti. Ali pernah menolak tender rakan Daim semasa bertugas di EPU untuk diberi kepada anak Mahathir - Penterjemah)

KRITIK DAIM SAMPAI KE PUTRAJAYA

Walaupun Daim menafikan hubungannya tidak berganjak sedikit pun, beberapa kritikan darinya telah terbang ke Putrajaya untuk sampai ke telinga diktator 'baik'. Demikianlah menurut beberapa sumber dalaman parti sendiri. Ini termasuklah saranan Daim supaya Mahathir mempamirkan muka-muka segar yang baru, (bukan muka-muka tua ZAM, tengku Adnan dll?) - jika tidak Umno akan kepupusan bakat muda.

Mokhzani sekali lagi menafikan beliau mendapat keistimewaan sebagai anak PM. Kali ini dia mengungkit tektik menyamakannya dengan anak Suharto - Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra itu. Belau mahu dihormati dengan keputusannya itu tetapi ramai masih sangsi kerana baru dua syarikat dilepaskan nama sudah mendabik dada berundur dengan gahnya.

KOMEN

Kalau ya pun berundurlah sebersih-bersihnya sehingga sifar barulah kita dapat melayang satu tabik hormat untuknya. Lagipun, ramai analis koporat bersetuju jika Mahathir tidak ada, Mokhzani sudah lama tenggelam tiada. Dia masih berhutang menggila walaupun membolot kontrak penswastaan 15 tahun lamanya yang terjamin pulangannya. Malah terdesak mahu menjual pegangan dalam Phileo Allied kepada orang asing di Hong Kong sedangkan bapanya sendiri asyik menyelar campur tangan orang asing.... Sekarang dia menujual Pantai kepada bukan bumiputera pula sedangkan kontrak selalunya diberi setelah mengambil kira pegangan bumiputra. Mengapa tidak dijual sahaja kepada pembeli bumiputra? Siapa yang merosakkan DEB sebenarnya?

-Terjemahan/Ulasan Ringkas Man Kubur-

The Business Times, Singapore
30th April 2001

Politics still dominates in Kuala Lumpur

Prime Minister Mahathir has to deal with public perceptions, even if economic issues demand attention

By Eddie Toh

ALMOST three years after sacking his deputy Anwar Ibrahim, and with the economy slowing and stock prices slumping, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad just can't seem to move beyond pressing political problems, even if circumstances require him to focus on putting the economic house in order.

First, he announced that Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin has gone on two-months' leave of absence, sparking intense speculation that all's not well between the two men and that this could be a prelude to the departure of the country's economic czar.

And late last week, the premier's second son, Mokhzani Mahathir, said he decided to quit the business scene altogether in a bid to protect himself and his father from any further allegations of nepotism.

Although the two events are not linked, they may affect the Malaysian premier's next tactical move in the political arena. Investors will be watching to see how the two events pan out and factor them into their future investment decisions.

With considerable political and economic fallout from the sacking of Anwar in September 1998, Dr Mahathir's room for political manoeuvring has been considerably constrained. Anwar is serving a 15-year jail sentence for corruption and s###my, sentences he claims were politically motivated.

The Anwar saga has changed the political landscape beyond recognition. It has split the Malay community and generated greater political awareness and antagonism towards the establishment. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Dr Mahathir is minimising his political liabilities in an effort to win back the Malay ground.

Mr Daim has been a staunch ally of the prime minister in the past. Twice in the last 15 years he helped fashion policies to weather economic recessions that befell the country. In recent times, however, there have been whispers - although denied repeatedly and vehemently - of strained relations between the two men. Political talk has it that they did not see eye to eye in 1999 on a blueprint to consolidate the country's banking system and create mega banking institutions from over 50 such entities in the country.

The finance minister had initially selected six banks to spearhead the consolidation of the overcrowded sector. He raised eyebrows when he picked Multi-Purpose Bank - a small bank controlled by his associates - to swallow bigger banks like RHB Bank and PhileoAllied Bank.

Dr Mahathir amended the policy and allowed banks to pick their own merger partners following intense lobbying by Quek Leng Chan of Hong Leong Bank, Rashid Hussain of RHB Bank and Azman Hashim of the Arab-Malaysian group.

The finance minister's recent decisions have also caused a public outcry. He was heavily criticised for using state funds to mop up unwanted Time dotCom shares in the telecommunications company's dismal initial public offering last month. He also drew flak for his ministry's buyback of a block of shares in Malaysia Airlines belonging to Tajuddin Ramli, seen as a Daim protege.

Hence, Dr Mahathir's recent moves to appoint two economic advisers in have been seen by some as a way to clip the finance minister's wings.

But even if a rift does exist between the two men, it's not likely to be as serious as the premier's falling out with Anwar. This is because Mr Daim has never been seen to be interested in the premier's job.

In the case of Mr Mokhzani, Dr Mahathir may not feel that his second son is a political liability even if his son feels otherwise. The businessman decided to call it quits following allegations that the premier had awarded a RM1.2 billion (S$574.1 million) contract to him. In fact, the contract to build a convention centre at the site of the old KL airport has yet to be awarded. And it was Kamunting Corporation, in which Mr Mokhzani has an indirect interest through Tongkah Holdings and Pantai Holdings, that submitted a bid. Furthermore, the PM said his son's effective interest in Kamunting amounted to a paltry 0.2 per cent.

Although Dr Mahathir says he has not played a part in his children's business, his detractors continue to cry foul.

However, in the shifting landscape of Malaysian politics these days, form has taken precedence over substance and politicians ignore public perception at their own peril. Whether Dr Mahathir will be required to enact drastic changes to address public perceptions of political favouritism, time will tell. But with elections due by 2004, and a recent setback in a by-election in his home state, the premier cannot afford to leave too much to chance.

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg

The Singapore Straits Times
30th April 2001

My loyalty unshakeable: Daim

He reassures Umno Youth leaders at a closed-door meeting that he would never undermine the Prime Minister

By Brendan Pereira
MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin has told Umno Youth leaders behind closed doors that although he sometimes has differences with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he is 100 per cent behind the Prime Minister and will never betray or undermine him.

The Straits Times understands that, at a recent meeting, he admitted that he and Dr Mahathir sometimes had differences over the timing and implementation of policies.

But both men were in agreement when it came to the general direction of government policies.

He told leaders that, unlike former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, he was 100 per cent loyal.

Three of them recalled him saying that his loyalty to Dr Mahathir was 'unshakeable'.

Tun Daim's decision to shed his reticence and speak with candour is not surprising, given that he knows that there has been a growing perception within the ruling party that he and Dr Mahathir are not getting along.

He knows that this speculation cannot be easily dismissed, as before, because the purveyors of the talk come from the corridors of power.

Also, talk of the rift emanated after a similar meeting he had with this same group of Umno Youth leaders in early February.

At that time, he had, when speaking about the political situation in the country, suggested that Dr Mahathir give up more of his government duties and concentrate on winning over Umno supporters on the ground.

He also spoke about the need to bring more new faces into the Cabinet, pointing out that if the Malaysian leader did not use a ministerial reshuffle to inject fresh talent, many would view the exercise as a lost opportunity.

Several hours after that meeting, talk of a split between him and Dr Mahathir started percolating.

Some Umno Youth leaders were caught in a quandary: should they report what Tun Daim said to Dr Mahathir or should they view it as an illustration of the winds of change sweeping through the party?

A few reported the contents of the meeting to aides of the Prime Minister. The reaction was predictable - the beginning of a cold war.

But since then, Tun Daim has also met senior editors and spoken frankly to them about the political situation. Contents of that briefing too have also flowed back to Putrajaya, and raised the ante further.

By now declaring his 'unshakeable loyalty' to the country's Number One, the Finance Minister could have been sending a signal to Dr Mahathir that he is not the enemy.

He is also signalling that he remains committed and is willing to serve. But whether he continues to do so will depend on whether the Prime Minister believes the independent input he is receiving.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg

http://livenews.lycosasia.com/sg/lv3_5_7.html

29 Apr 2001

Malaysian PM's son rejects Indonesia parallel

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Mokhzani Mahathir, one of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's sons, has dismissed any parallel between his business record and that of former Indonesian president Suharto's son, a Sunday newspaper said.

"We do not stand to gain the way Suharto's children gained on the strength of their father's position," Mokhzani was quoted by the New Sunday Times as saying.

"Over there, it seems like the father is awarding things directly to the children... That doesn't happen here," he said.

Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, Suharto's youngest son, has been on the run since early November after fleeing an 18-month jail term for corruption over an $11 million land scam.

Critics have accused the Suharto family of corruptly stashing away as much as $45 billion during the autocrat's 32-year, army-backed rule, which ended in 1998. They deny any wrongdoing.

Mokhzani said on Thursday he would quit business over allegations about his involvement in government projects, saying accusations tarnished his own and his father's name.

Mokhzani said that, being a prime minister's son, critics treated his involvement in privatisation projects unfairly.

"They will only look at the fact that I am the PM's son and this is the company belonging to or involved with the prime minister's son. The stigma of being the PM's son will follow me everywhere even after he retires," he said.

Mahathir says he has nothing to do with awarding contracts.

The prime minister, facing an opposition campaign accusing his coalition of cronyism, has stepped up the rhetoric against members of his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) engaged in so-called money politics.

Mokhzani sold his interest in diversified firm Tongkah Holdings Bhd and healthcare group Pantai Holdings Bhd . He remains chairman of Gold Corn in Singapore.

Mokhzani, who is assistant treasurer of the youth wing of Mahathir's United Malays National Organisation, said he would now have more time for politics but added he doubted he would go as far as his father.

"I'm not sure that I'm made of the same stuff as he is," he said.

Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin said on Sunday Mokhzani's decision to quit business should be respected.

"That's his decision. We should respect it. He must have thought it out and he is free to make whatever decision he wants," he was quoted by the national Bernama news agency as saying.

Daim also said there was nothing to stop a businessman from being involved in politics.

"We don't prevent a businessman from entering politics. What we don't want is for him to use money to buy influence," he said.

http://news.catcha.com/my/content.phtml?1&010&&afpnews.cgi&cat=malaysia&stor y=010429054952.6xd29457.txt

Mahathir son to focus on family, politics after quitting business

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (AFP) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's second son in remarks published Sunday said he would focus on family and politics after his sudden withdrawal from the business world.

Mokhzani said the move would "take the heat" off his two brothers and denied their role in business was similar to that of the family of former Indonesian president Suharto.

"We do not stand to gain the way Suharto's children gained on the strength of their father's position. Over there it seems like the father is awarding things directly to the children whatever business there are," he told the New Sunday Times in an interview.

"Everything is given to the family on privatisation and monopoly of business. You can't see that happening here at all."

Mokhzani, 40, announced late Thursday he was quitting business because of false allegations linking him with government contracts or mega-projects which tarnished him and his father.

He resigned as chief executive of Pantai Holdings and executive chairman of Tongkah Holdings, selling his stake in both firms. He said he would also sell holdings in other locally listed firms.

Mokhzani said he had expected to face public scrutiny but "I never foresaw that it would be as bad as it is today.

"This is very disappointing, they do not differentiate between what I have done as a Malay entrepreneur and what I have done as the prime minister's son," he said.

His withdrawal would benefit the two firms which could now tender for government projects, he added.

Mokhzani, who is also a treasurer in the youth wing of the ruling United Malays National Organisation, said he would spend time with his wife and three children and focus on politics but added he had no plans to follow in his father's footsteps.

"I don't think I have the ambition to go very high. I've seen what my father has to sacrifice as the prime minister of Malaysia. I'm not sure that I'm made of the same stuff as he is."

Mokhzani said he would consider overseas investment. "I am still the chairman of Gold Corn in Singapore, so I still have a foothold in the corporate sector there."

Mahathir on Saturday said he was surprised by Mokhzani's decision and stressed he did not favour his sons.

Mirzan, the eldest, in 1996 listed his shipping and logistics company Konsortium Perkapalan. Later that year it acquired Pacific Basin Bulk Shipping. Youngest son Mukhriz has had interests in Reliance Pacific and Opcom Cables.

Dealers have said Mokhzani's move was a positive sign of Malaysian approach to doing business.

http://www.nstpi.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/NewsBreak/20010424175524/Ar ticle/

24 Apr 2001
PENANG

Gerakan exco member denounces ISA detentions

by Ismail Hashim

State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon has again voiced his dissatisfaction over the Government's decision to arrest nine people under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"No one should be detained without trial," he said. "The case or cases against them must be proven in court."

Stressing that his views were his personal opinion, Toh, who is also State Gerakan vice-chariman told reporters that there should also be a review of the use of the ISA.

"These views are my personal opinions," he told reporters after attending the second meeting of the third sitting of the 10th State Legislative Assembly.

He was again asked on his stance on the ISA. Last month, he had also echoed a similar view on the matter.

Recently, Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Kheng Yaik announced that the party was not against the use of the ISA, if it was to maintain peace.

Asked if he was going against his party's stance on the matter, Toh said: "This is my personal view."

In fact, he added, many in Gerakan have dissenting views on the use of the ISA.

"I am also prepared to face any consequences over my views...It is okay and let it be."

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon later told reporters that Toh was entitled to his opinion.

"Gerakan is a democratic party," he said, "and he can share his personal views on any matter with us."