In Videotape, Ousted Deputy Blasts Mahathir For Corruption
International Herald Tribune
September 25, 1998
Thomas Fuller

In a videotape that was recorded before his arrest and broadcast throughout East Asia on Thursday, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's ousted deputy prime minister, leveled broad allegations of corruption against Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad.

Mr. Mahathir swiftly responded, telling journalists he was powerless to prevent the news media from telling "lies."

The dramatic videotape of Mr. Anwar, sitting next to his wife, Azizah, was apparently recorded Sunday, the same day a Malaysian commando unit stormed Mr. Anwar's house and took him to jail amid allegations of sedition and sodomy.

On the tape, Mr. Anwar said he had been dismissed because Mr. Mahathir and his "cronies" feared that Mr. Anwar would not protect their interests once the prime minister left office. And he tells his children that the sex allegations are "vicious lies."

"They are afraid that when I take over power, their positions, their crimes and their bribes are not secure," Mr. Anwar said, characterizing Mr. Mahathir as "hungry for power."

He went on to allege that money had been siphoned off from Mr. Mahathir's political party, of which Mr. Anwar was a member until his removal, and that Mr. Mahathir knew about it; that the prime minister pressed for a preferential price when a unit of the national oil company purchased a shipping concern controlled by Mr. Mahathir's son; and that projects commissioned by the government had benefited Mr. Mahathir's family and friends.

There have been very few accusations of personal corruption lodged against Mr. Mahathir during his 17-year rule.

Even the prime minister's fiercest critics say they do not believe he is motivated by money.

Mr. Anwar has remained in jail under Malaysia's Internal Security Act.

Asked about the tape at a news conference, Mr. Mahathir responded: "You are free to air this every half an hour. Because you own the media and you can tell to the whole world and influence the whole world against us."

Mr. Mahathir added: "We are powerless to do anything against you. So that is your right. What rights I have of course is of no interest to you. You can tell lies. Go on. I don't care. If you want to believe that, you're welcome to believe that."

The tape was broadcast by CNBC Asia, a regional business news network based in Singapore that can be seen by cable subscribers in Malaysia and throughout Asia.

In the tape, both Mr. Anwar and Mrs. Azizah are wearing the same clothes they wore while leading an anti-government rally of about 50,000 people in central Kuala Lumpur on Sunday afternoon. The tape begins with Mr. Anwar delivering a message to his six children.

"You should know that all the accusations that have been hurled towards your father are vicious lies," he said, referring to allegations by Mr. Mahathir that Mr. Anwar had been involved in adulterous and homosexual acts. "I hope that with your mother's guidance you will not be discouraged."

An adopted brother of Mr. Anwar and a former speechwriter were jailed for six months Saturday after being found guilty of allowing Mr. Anwar to sodomize them. Mr. Anwar said they had been "forced, threatened or beaten" by security forces and that he faced the same threat.

Speaking in Malay, Mr. Anwar repeated his claim that he was a victim of a political conspiracy by Mr. Mahathir and his political and corporate allies.

"The reason why they are afraid of me is because I know too much about their secrets," he said.

Mr. Anwar said that 2 billion ringgit ($526.3 million) belonging to the ruling party, the United Malays National Organization, had been "pocketed for the interest of a small number of people" — he did not name them — and that more money had been taken from the party and sent abroad.

"I know that a lot of money — about a billion — in October was taken out of our country to a bank account in Zurich," he said. It was not clear whether Mr. Anwar meant a billion dollars or a billion ringgit. He added that he had reported the transfer to the prime minister but that Mr. Mahathir "kept the information to himself."

Mr. Anwar also referred to a deal in April between Konsortium Perkapalan, a transport company controlled by Mr. Mahathir's son, Mirzan, and the state-owned oil company, Petroliam Nasional Bhd., known as Petronas. Mr. Mirzan's cash-strapped company sold its shipping assets to a unit of Petronas in a deal valued at $531 million

"I and Petronas requested to use international valuers," Mr. Anwar said, referring to his dealings with Mr. Mahathir. "But he got angry with us because he thought the price was supposed to be higher."

At the time of the deal, independent analysts said it had been fairly priced.

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