MEDIA
GERAK
Republish:
Mahathir,
Abramoff and Bush
NOTE:
THE ARTICLE BELOW IS POSTED AGAIN AT THE REQUEST OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN
FOLLOWING CLOSELY THE SCANDAL INVOLVING JACK ABRAMOFF AND A NUMBER OF SENIOR
POLITICIANS AND OFFICIALS IN THE US.
THE SAME ABRAMOFF
WAS PAID SUBSTANTIALLY TO ARRANGE FOR A MEETING BETWEEN THEN MALAYSIAN
PRIME MINISTER, TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD AND PRESIDENT BUSH. UNTIL NOW THERE
HAS BEEN NO EXPLANATION ABOUT THE ALLEGED PAYMENT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS MADE
BY THOSE CLOSE TO THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT.
PM MUST
EXPLAIN PAYMENT TO HERITAGE FOUNDATION
WHAT ROLES
DID MAHATHIR, DAIM AND MEGAT JUNID PLAY?
Three months
have passed since Washington Post, in an article “Think Tank’s Ideas Shifted
As Malaysia Ties Grew”, dated 17 April 2005, exposed that the Malaysian
Government paid the Heritage Foundation to lobby for a meeting between
President George Bush with the then Malaysian Premier, Datuk Seri (now
Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has several times been called upon to
explain, but he has chosen to remain silent. Recently, some new additional
information have surfaced in connection with Jack Abramoff, who,
according to the Washington Post was “a former Republican lobbying powerhouse
……indirectly paid by the government of Malaysia”.
To be more
precise, “the Embassy of Malaysia gave AIC a check for US$300,000 dated
March 6, 2002”. (In Malaysian currency the amount is equivalent to RM1.14
million.) AIC, the acronym for American International Center, was
“a front created in part to hide Abramoff’s representation of Malaysia”.
It has now come to light that the AIC, which was set up at Rehoboth Beach
by Michael Scanlon, an associate of Abramoff, is a fraud.
Rehoboth Beach,
Delaware, is a resort town on the Atlantic Ocean, about an hour or so from
Washington DC. When the Washington Post investigated, it found that the
building was actually a beach house, and the only staff that manned this
“international think tank” was a “former lifeguard and a yoga instructor”.
Indeed it is
a great wonder why the Malaysian Embassy sent an official check of $300,000
to the AIC. But, it is interesting to note that the highest
officer at the Embassy at that time was a brother-in-law of ex-Finance
Minister Tun Daim, one Dato’ Ghazali.
According to
an article entitled “Abramoff’s Duo Quits US”, published in the The Hill
Newspaper of 13 July 2005, “Abramoff and ……Michael Scanlon are the target
of the Justice Department probe and two Senate investigations into allegations
that they bilked (Indian gaming) tribes of more than US$60 million.
A federal grand jury has been convened to consider possible criminal charges
in the matter.”
How could any
Malaysian public leader be involved with such dubious character?
The story of
Abramoff started with the Malaysian efforts to win over public opinion
in the US and to open the way for a meeting between then Malaysian PM with
the US President. After the economic downturn and the detention of ex-Deputy
PM Anwar Ibrahim together with a number of others in 1998, Malaysia was
strongly criticized by the media and civil society the world over, especially
in the US, for her human rights records.
The conservative
Heritage Foundation joined the chorus against Malaysia, when in a 1998
paper it called upon the Clinton administration to “be prepared to speak
out strongly against Mahathir’s actions”. In February 1999, the president
of Heritage, Edwin J. Fuelner, praised Vice President Gore for making “an
impressive defense of freedom in Malaysia”.
Things changed
after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The well-known anti-West Mahathir suddenly
offered to “cooperate with the US in the war against terrorism” and stepped
up military cooperation by allowing more “US overflights and jungle-training
programs”. In 2002, Heritage hosted speeches by then DPM Abdullah Badawi
and Defence Minister Najib Razak on ways to strengthen US-Malaysia friendship
and defence cooperation.
As explained
in the Washington Post article, this happened at the same time as the Heritage
president co-founded a firm called the Belle Haven Consultants, which retained
his wife, Linda Fuelner, as “senior adviser”. Belle Haven hired Alexander
Strategy Group, a Washington lobby firm run by a former chief of staff
of the House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, to help represent Malaysian clients.
Abramoff was close to DeLay and the Alexander Strategy Group lobbyists.
It is most
instructive to learn from records of the US Senate that Malaysian client
for Belle Haven Consultants is listed as PK Baru Energy Sdn Bhd, 12-4 Level
12, East Wing, Rohas Perkasa, No 8 Jalan Perak, KL 50450. It is believed
that the company was owned by Tan Sri Megat Junid..
Megat Junid
was a minister in Mahathir’s cabinet and always took pride in the claim
that he enjoyed special relationship with the former PM. Interestingly,
Megat Junid was head of the US-Malaysia Exchange Association (whatever
that is), which was established as a front organization partly to
orgasnise trips and perhaps also channel funds.
It is alleged
that about “RM5.3 million (was paid) to secure the White House Visit for
Mahathir”. It has also been claimed that in February the Government paid
RM40 million to the Heritage Foundation through the Tenaga Nasional Berhad
(TNB). There is no concrete evidence of this. But much of the actual proof
that several past payments were made can be found in the official records
of the US Senate (http//sopr.senate.govt/.).
Parti Keadilan
Rakyat demands to know what roles were played particularly by Tun Mahathir
Mohamad, Tun Daim Zainuddin and Tan Sri Megat Junid in regard to all the
payments. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi owes it to the people
of Malaysia to give full explanation now. He cannot remain silent
anymore.
Dr Syed Husin
Ali
Deputy President
Parti Keadilan
Rakyat
(People’s Justice
Party)
First published:
18 July 2005
27.11.05 (M@RHAEN
- Emel: marhaen@gmail.com
/ reformasi@gmail.com)
Laman M@RHAEN
dihoskan oleh: Kelatedaily.net.
Cerminan:bakongnet.com
Sumbangan kpd Tabung Senggaraan M@RHAEN
