James Kuok, the nephew of tycoon Robert Kuok, has denied allegations by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin that his uncle had used him as a conduit to fund DAP's war chest.
"I am not used by Robert Kuok to channel money to DAP. Neither do I personally give money to the DAP.
"I would have been happier if Malaysiakini did not approach me today. The police should have approached me first, right?
"What have I done wrong? There is no truth in what he (Raja Petra) said," James told Malaysiakini in an interview held today at his restaurant in Petaling Jaya, Sri Nyonya.
"What people want to believe, what that Raja Petra wants to say, he can cook up a story if he likes," the 84-year-old added.
Yesterday, in an article on his blog Malaysia Today, Raja Petra had named James as the "contact man" between his Hong Kong-based uncle and various DAP leaders to fund the party's alleged plans to topple BN.
Commenting on this, James said it was a known fact that Robert is a rich man, although he had no personal interest in or knowledge of how his uncle’s money was spent.
"In my family, I know what my father told me. If you have money, do charity. I don't know what he (Robert) did with his money," said James, who was accompanied by his daughter Carol and son-in-law Ng Teik Piew.
'No financial ties with DAP'
Besides being accused as a conduit for Robert, Raja Petra also alleged that Robert had convinced other Chinese tycoons to contribute towards DAP's and Pakatan Harapan's election war chest.
The London-based blogger had also included photographs of James in a meeting with DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and a separate meeting with former law minister Zaid Ibrahim at his restaurant.
James, however, insisted that he has done nothing wrong and accused Raja Petra of “infringing his copyright” by stealing the photographs shared on his personal Facebook page.
He also reiterated that he has no financial ties with DAP.
"Sit down for food or drinks with DAP leaders, yes, many times. Others who sit or drink with me are not necessarily DAP cronies either as I couldn't care less," he stressed.
In the 31 years of the restaurant's operations, James said he had feted a long list of Malaysian dignitaries including former prime ministers Hussein Onn, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
"I've met a lot of VIPs in my time," said the Johor Bahru native, who occasionally peppered his speech with the local Malay dialect.
"Bukan cakap lawa (not to boast) but I have also met MCA presidents, Gerakan presidents...They are people in Malaysian society."
"In fact when I first knew (DAP parliamentary leader) Lim Kit Siang, I scolded him.
"I've always reminded Kit Siang, when I first met you I scolded you, we quarrelled at a coffee shop," he said, adding that this happened during the time his "good friend" Hussein Onn had served as the third prime minister in the late 1970s.
'I helped Raja Petra twice'
James, meanwhile, also accused Raja Petra of being "ungrateful" as the latter had never thanked him for his help on two occasions - contributions made towards his son's stint in rehabilitation and to raise funds during his early years of living in exile in Manchester, England.
"I'm not asking you (Raja Petra) to kiss my feet. At least if you don't have gratitude, don't talk rubbish about me," said James.
James said he first knew about Raja Petra through two friends who informed him of the blogger's 2008 detention under the now abolished Internal Security Act.
"I told my friend, I don't know him (Raja Petra) but please send him my sympathy.
"When he comes out of ISA, I'll give a dinner in his honour....That was how I started to know him," James said.
The dinner took place shortly after Raja Petra was released but James said it was the former who gave him a surprise phone call.
"I said, 'who is that?' He said, 'RPK.' I said, 'I don't know your voice, jangantemberang (don't lie)," said James who recalled that the gathering with their mutual friends had taken place in a happy manner.
He went on to describe Raja Petra as an “irresponsible person” for fleeing the country.
Raja Petra reportedly sought refuge overseas after two warrants of arrest were issued against him for failing to appear in court on April 23 and May 23, 2010, to answer to a charge of writing and posting an allegedly seditious and defamatory article on the prime minister’s wife Rosmah Mansor on Malaysia Today.
While admitting that it was a general consensus among his family that they would rather avoid the media glare, James said he had been angered by Raja Petra's accusations and felt compelled to set the record straight.
"We believe that there will be a day of reckoning.
"This man (Raja Petra) must face God and he must face the wrath of his God," he said. -Mkini
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