KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - Politics of revenge or not, it's hard to feel sorry for Daim Zainuddin, the still powerful former finance minister whom Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim may be underestimating - as he pushes a corruption probe that, while is long overdue, is also seen as an attempt to regain credibility after his ineffective government disappointed voters by freeing his deputy Zahid Hamidi from a string of graft charges.
"You can also say it's politics of hypocrisy but nobody is complaining because people do want to see the big fish getting caught," a pundit told Politics Now!
"How well Anwar and his government handles the Daim issue depends on how impartial they really are. If they only go after the bigwigs who are his enemies but release the crocodiles that lurk in his own government, I don't think the people will be impressed. There's also (jailed ex-premier) Najib Razak? Will Anwar fast-track a royal pardon to free Najib who can be counted as his pal but lock up his personal enemies like Daim?"
"Anwar also talks about religious extremism but will he dare rein in guys like Pas chief Hadi Awang? Or will he only dare go after guys like Mahathir Mohamad who is nearly 100 years old and has hardly any political base left?"
"The only certainty is the political infighting in the country will go up even more and Anwar should not think he is on rock solid ground when he has opened the door to an all-out onslaught from the enemy side."
"NOT REPRESENTING A BROKEN SYSTEM" - BUT WILL ANWAR BACK AN RCI ON ZAHID'S DISCHARGE?
The pundit was referring to Anwar's rather dramatic comments, bordering on braggadocio, over the seizure of the Ilham Tower, owned by Daim's family.
“We are not representing a broken system and our system must be seen to take brave action. Whether or not (the allegations) are true, let the process take place and the judiciary decide,” said Anwar, while ignoring the still heated public criticism over Zahid's shock discharge.
“That is why I have said whether it’s a Tun or Tan Sri, (they should be probed). This is an open secret, where a person has amassed extraordinary wealth. Let there be a probe so leaders will not be seen as protecting the corrupt.”
Yet despite the verbal bombast, will Anwar agree to a fully neutral Royal Commission of Inquiry over Zahid's discharge, asked analysts.
TURMOIL AHEAD? ANWAR RUSHES FOR ABANG JO'S HAND
And as if sensing stormy seas ahead, Anwar made haste to assure he had the backing of Sarawak's powerful premier Abang Johari. The support of East Malaysian states Sabah and Sarawak are crucial for the survival of Anwar as PM and if withdrawn, a change in federal government will be immediate.
Any "tebuk atap" (backdoor) attempts to install a new government will only have basis if given the opportunity by the two states, Anwar himself conceded. He also claimed the Sarawak premier told him there had been attempts to sway Sarawak away from the current unity government.
"He informed me of several desperate attempts by some quarters to influence him, but he has been consistently and firmly turning them down," claimed Anwar.
"He said he would not entertain any discussion on driving a wedge between the state and federal government," insisted Anwar.
IMPOSSIBLE FOR DAIM NOT TO FIGHT BACK
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has confirmed it was carrying out a corruption and money laundering probe against the 85-year-old Daim, who was twice the finance minister from 1984 to 1991 and 1999 to 2001.
Apart from the iconic 60-storey Ilham Tower, several other Daim family assets may be confiscated or seized due to alleged failure to explain the source of funds to buy them.
“This (more seizures) is a possibility. If it is necessary for assets to be seized, investigators will proceed to apply for seizure,” the Star reported a source as saying.
Meanwhile MACC chief Azam Baki, while confirming the Daim probe, declined to reveal details.
“When we investigate allegations of corruption and power abuse and there are non-movable assets involved, we are allowed under the MACC Act to submit to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for the asset to be seized."
“This is what happened. We used the power of the DPP to instruct the Land Office to place a caveat on the land,” Azam explained to the press.
According to a notice published in a newspaper, the seizure of the RM2.7 billion Ilham Tower could potentially drain Daim's resources - and political watchers expect him and his family to use all their resources to fight the case, as well as the Anwar regime.
“Take notice that according to Section 38(5) of the MACC Act 2009, whereby anyone that goes against this notice, has committed an offence that could be fined no more than twice the amount of said value, or RM50,000, or whichever higher amount, and can be jailed for a period no longer than two years,” read the notice.
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
Politics Now!
Comments