Toto, the Sunday Mail, and Vincent Tan
“Responsible journalism” in Malaysia is quite lucrative business for those quick enough to cash in. Definition of “responsible journalism” — a kind of journalism responsible for keeping certain people in power
When the government-owned Sports Toto was sold off to Vincent Tan in 1985 by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it came after a campaign in the Sunday Mail, then under the editorship of Ahmad Sebi Abu Bakar, featuring articles by Shaik Osman Majid. Much of the criticisms laid against the government-owned Sports Toto rested on how ineffective it had been in raising money for sports development.
Ahmad Sebi, a protege of Mahathir’s alter ego Daim Zainuddin, later became TV3 boss, and was a key player in the Sport Toto privatisation and other deals during those go-go years. During the 1987 Operation Lallang, he was detained for a week after being stopped at the airport with RM20mil in cash in his suitcase as he was trying to leave the country.
A quarter-century later, as another Vincent Tan betting licence gathers controversy, it is pertinent to ask how much the Vincent Tan-owned Sports Toto has contributed to sports development as a percentage of the total bets placed with the company since it became the magic cash cow of Berjaya group.
