Kita asks how Mahathir’s sons became billionaires

Minor party questions 'world record' speed in acquiring wealth.

SUNGAI PETANI: The People’s Welfare Party, Kita, has urged former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad to explain how his sons Mokhzani and Mirzan had become billionaires “overnight”.

Party leader Zamil Ibrahim said Mokhzani had been named the ninth richest man in Malaysia by the Malaysian Business magazine in 2014.

As a Kedahan, he said, he knew that Dr Mahathir’s father was merely a school headmaster, while Mahathir himself had operated a simple clinic in Alor Setar before becoming the top politician in the country.

Malaysians were thus curious to know how Mokhzani and Mirzan became billionaires and among the richest Malaysians.

“We humbly request Tun Dr Mahathir to clarify. Zamil described as a “world record” that sons of a former premier could own billions in past three years.

“You can’t get this world record in any part of the world. Only Dr Mahathir can explain,” said Zamil.

He also urged Dr Mahathir to publicly explain exactly how much government-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad had lost in its ventures. He said there were discrepancies in the former premier’s own figures.

Dr Mahathir had first said 1MDB had lost RM42 billion, but recently claimed it lost RM14 billion. “Which is which now? Which figure is the right one?,” he said.

He accused Dr Mahathir of misinforming, confusing and misleading the public with different figures on 1MDB, and challenged Dr Mahathir to either submit all his evidence to relevant authorities such as the Auditor-General or just stop his “empty talk”.

Dr Mahathir has mounted a campaign to oust Najib Razak as Umno president and prime minister, in the wake of published reports about the finances and questionable investments of 1MDB, of which Najib is adviser.

He has also made pointed remarks about Najib’s wealth and the purported lavish lifestyle of his wife and family, following news reports about purchases of multi-million-ringgit property by his stepson.