In death, Daim invites Anwar to look in the mirror: Ex-minister deserves respect, not political revenge
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, the man credited with saving Malaysia's crises-hit economy twice, has passed away at age 86 after suffering a stroke a few weeks ago.
His passing comes amid a rash of what is seen as political revenge moves from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has in the past blamed Daim and former premier Mahathir Mohamad over his jailing on what he says were trumped-up and fabricated sodomy charges during the late 1990s.
Hence, few would expect any plaudits or acknowledgement of Daim's contributions to the nation from the current Anwar administration, which now ironically has found itself in the court of public opinion for its own corruption and abuses of power.
IN DEATH, DAIM INVITES ANWAR TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Frail and wheelchair-bound Daim attending a trial
It is not known what will now happen to the court charges filed against Daim, although those filed against his wife are expected to continue.
"I think with Daim's death Anwar comes off as a leader with no class. The elites never thought well of him and now the ordinary people are finally sizing up the real Anwar. What they see now and what he portrayed before he became PM seems to be two very different people," a veteran political watcher told PoliticsNow Malaysia.
"Anwar cannot just accuse Mahathir and Daim of framing him for sodomy. The people are not fools, they will know what to think of all three. Unless Anwar is able to explain to them that if he was not guilty of sodomy, then how come there was another sodomy conviction against him under a different prime minister (Najib Razak) and against a different victim. And now there is Yusoff Rawther, the grandson of a well-known and respected consumer rights figure, accusing him of sexual assault and indecent molest. For going public with that, Yusoff is locked up without trial by the police for drugs and possession of fake guns. Is that because Anwar is PM? If Anwar was still in the opposition, won't you say the odds are he might face a third conviction?" added the observer.
The slew of 'corruption' charges filed by the Anwar administration against Daim have been brushed off by many in the financial world as flimsy and aimed to smear. The reasons being that most of his assets are stored in private companies where the disclosure rules are very different and less stringent than those required of public listed firms. Moreover, the details of many of the transactions demanded by the authorities took place years, if not decades ago.
IT'S CORRUPTION ONLY WHEN POLITICAL FOES & CRITICS DO IT?
Nonetheless, wherever the court trail against Daim would have eventually led, perhaps nobody will ever know. Known for his modest, unassuming and even secretive ways, whatever extra oomph or acumen that Daim brought to his job or lent to his deals have probably gone with him to the grave.
"With Daim's death, the joke is on Anwar. He can try to say 'at least I tried' but of what use is it to tell a dead man 'I told you so'. How fair or big is a man who would hit another who cannot reply or respond? Of course, with Anwar now PM, nobody would dare to laugh at him yet. But the damage is done, his legacy will be hallmarked by pettiness, revengefulness and inconsistencies," the observer continued.
Indeed, the Anwar regime's increasingly inconsistent conduct and decisions have rung many alarm bells in the country. The latest political melodrama is a Sabah-based bribery scandal involving chief minister Hajiji Noor and several assemblymen. Yet the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission is reluctant to offer protection to the whistleblower who exposed the shenanigans via 8 video clips. Adding fury to the storm of public outrage, Anwar has in turn backed the MACC by affirming that protection is to be offered only to those with integrity or who are "clean".
"It's so bizarre. If Anwar can insist corruption is corruption when he went after Daim, suddenly when it comes to Hajiji's case, there are qualifications. Is Anwar saying corruption is okay so long as it's done by those in his camp? Or is he saying, corruption can be overlooked so long as my political goals are achieved? It's ironic that he doesn't see that such behavior is itself a form of corruption," said the observer.
He was referring to what many Sabah watchers believe - that the bribery scandal was also one of political backstabbing and skullduggery. The bribe receivers are being told by the corridors of power that nothing will happen to them, the whistleblower can be held in check - but only if they agree to cede ground to their political rivals, which in Hajiji's case would be Sabah Umno. The talk is the tradeoff could be related to seats distribution in the upcoming Sabah state election or perhaps Hajiji might even yield the chief minister's post to Sabah Umno.
FLAWED BUT NO MORE THAN ANWAR OR ZAHID OR NAJIB?
Earlier this year, Daim and his wife, Naimah Khalid, claimed trial in court on charges of failing to comply with the terms of a notice from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission regarding asset declaration.
Daim was accused of failing to declare his ownership in 38 companies, 19 plots of land in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur, as well as six properties. He was also alleged to have failed to declare his ownership of Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad and Amanah Saham Nasional accounts as well as seven luxury vehicles.
Last month, the sessions court ordered the frail and wheelchair-bound Daim to be present at a continued hearing over whether he should undergo a mental evaluation to determine if he was fit to stand trial. Daim could not make it. He fell ill again that day.
Daim’s lawyer, Gurdial Singh Nijar, confirmed his death today (November 13).
“Yes, he passed on this morning. His funeral will be held today,” Gurdial told the press.
REMEMBERED FOR HIS BRILLIANT POLITICAL MIND
A former teacher before becoming a corporate lawyer and politician who would walk the most hallowed halls in the country, rubbed shoulders with the most influential leaders and financiers in the world, and also saving Malaysia from economic disaster twice - once from the oil price shock of the early 1980s and then from Anwar's own financial indiscretions during the 1997 Asian crisis, Daim deserves some gratitude and respect from the nation.
Yet Anwar turned on Daim and Mahathir when he finally managed to snatch the PM's post for himself with the help of the graft-tainted Zahid Hamidi and the Najib faction in Umno. Speculation has been rife the two Umno men only helped Anwar in exchange for his promise to free them from their graft cases. So far, Zahid the Umno president has succeeded in getting a shock discharge from all 47 of the corruption charges levelled at him, when government prosecutors withdrew their own case.
Najib is also eyeing a similar discharge from his multi-billion ringgit 1MDB graft trial - after having already got the previous King to cut by half a 12-year jail sentence over a separate case, with house detention a likely prospect as well.
Anwar has denied intervening for either Zahid or Najib. But both men benefitted as expected under Anwar's watch and his denials are hard to believe given the enormous power held by the prime minister in Malaysia. The belief that without the PM's nod, such major moves cannot occur is indeed hardly without basis.
Flawed Daim may well be. But no more than Anwar himself, or Zahid who is now Anwar's deputy prime minister or Najib, whose daughter was also given a high post in a government trade body.
A visibly moved Mahathir paid his last respects, arriving at Daim's home in Persiaran Bukit Tunku, shortly before 1pm. "Sad beyond measure", the 99-year-old Mahathir wrote an emotional tribute, saying that the two-time former finance minister deserved recognition for his contributions and not harassment "driven by vengeance".
“I have lost a friend who stood by me in my struggle for race, religion and country. We will be together again one day," said Mahathir on his Facebook page.
Rest in peace, Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow Malaysia
https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/
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