PKR: Anwar did not fail the Malay agenda

PKR has dimissed the allegation by a former Cabinet minister that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had approved banking licences to non-Malay banking groups.

PETALING JAYA: PKR has come to the defence of its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim following the “revelation” made by former Cabinet minister Sanusi Junid who accused the opposition leader of “failing the Malay agenda” when he was finance minister.

Yesterday, Sanusi had reportedly told a Malay economic forum that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin had, by not granting banking licences to non-Malays in Malaysia, tried to emulate Nazi Germany’s anti-Jewish policies.

However, Sanusi added that the duo’s plan was thwarted by Anwar when he became finance minister and approved two banking licences to non-Malay banking groups, namely Hong Leong Bank and Alliance Bank.

“Sanusi’s accusation that Anwar had failed the Malay agenda is baseless,” PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said in a statement today.

“Perhaps the Malay agenda that Sunusi meant was to safeguard the shareholder interests of Umno-BN cronies, such as how Petronas was pressured to save Korsortium Perkapalan Bhd, a company owned by Mahathir’s son, Mirzan, during the 1997 economic crisis, at an above market price.”

“However, the one who stopped that attempt was Anwar.

“It is clear that Sanusi’s statement is mere slander. His eagerness to attack Anwar and defend Mahathir and Daim made him blind to the mismanagement of the economy, which has made Malaysians [in general] and Malays [in particular] the victims,” said Nik.

Nik Nazmi also pointed out that one of the companies Anwar allegedly gave banking licence to, Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd, was linked to Daim himself as it was a banking company under the Alliance Financial Group Bhd (AFG).

He alleged that Daim owned 14.8% of AFG through a company called Langkah Bahagia Sdn Bhd.

“Langkah Bahagia, together with parties linked to investment company Temasek Holdings Ltd in Singapore, had interests in AFG through Vertical Theme Sdn Bhd,” said Nik Nazmi.

Huge disaster

Nik Nazmi said that the “relationship” between Daim and AFG dated back to 1982 when the former bought over the Malaysian French Bank, which was later renamed Multi-Purpose Bank.

According to Nik Nazmi, Langkah Bahagia purchased shares in Hock Hua Bank in Sabah in 1997, where one of the shareholders of Langkah Bahagia, Mohd Nasir Ali, had openly admitted that he acted on behalf of Daim.

“Hock Hua Bank was then renamed International Bank Malaysia Bhd and was merged with Multi-Purpose Bank and six other financial companies to form AFG,” said Nik Nazmi.

Yesterday, Sanusi, who was also former Kedah menteri besar, had reportedly said at the Malay Economic Congress that Daim had made sure that all banks had Malay directors eventhough pre-existing licences had been given to non-Malays then.

“We thought that if we can’t control the economy, we would follow Germany. In Germany banking licences are not given to the Jews.”

“But unfortunately a huge disaster happened [kecelakaan besar] when Anwar became finance minister: he approved banking licences for Alliance Bank and Hong Leong Bank,” he said.

Later, Mahathir himself denied Junid’s claim that he had adopted a Nazi Germany policy, saying that the latter had applied his own interpretation on his policies.

Mahathir explained that the policy was not designed to go against non-Malay interests.

“It may be regarded as [similar to the] anti-Jew [policy], but the purpose was to develop Malaysia. It is not ‘anti-non-Malay’. During my time, I won the election in 1999 because non-Malays supported me. The Malays refused to support me.”