Daim denies being alleged ‘chief conspirator’ in ousting Anwar
Ida Lim, TMI
Former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin has denied claims that he was the “chief conspirator” in getting his then successor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim removed from the Cabinet in 1998.
Daim also denied that their relationship had turned sour at any point.
“There was no fallout between us until he started accusing me of being a chief conspirator.
“When Anwar claimed that I was the conspirator, he knows the truth that I played no part, no role whatsoever. I knew nothing about the case until I was told about it,” Daim (picture) told the New Straits Times in an interview published today.
Daim also brushed off speculation that his motivation for allegedly ousting Anwar — then the finance minister — was to secure his business interests.
“That was his line, that he was this super hero fighting crime and corruption and, therefore, had to be brought down. If you know the things about him that I know, that line of his is hilarious, and the cheek of it all, to claim righteousness.
“I had then retired and what business interests did I have? I had to sell all my assets before joining the government in 1984,” the former Umno minister said.
Daim, who was the country’s finance minister from 1984-1991 and 1999-2001, also told the English-language paper that he sold a local bank owned by him when he joined the Cabinet for the second time.
He had played a crucial role in steering Malaysia out of the 1998 Asian financial crisis.
Later in his reply on the same issue of business interests, Daim claimed that his former colleague in Umno had falsely accused him of trying to procure contracts, before asking for proof that he had received contracts from the government.
“Anwar, through his accusations, repeated the lie that I wanted this contract and that contract, and that because he was in the way, I got rid of him. A lie repeated many times, unfortunately, becomes a truth.”
When asked again if there was a fallout between him and Anwar, Daim said: “There was no particular fallout, I was his scapegoat, among many other scapegoats. I was his friend, Dr Mahathir defended him…”
