Anwar covered up Bank Negara losses, says RPK
Tuesday, 05 June 2012 Super Admin
The influential blogger said the former deputy prime minister had absolved Bank Negara of any wrong-doing in 1994, which prompted Lim Kit Siang to accuse Anwar Ibrahim of lying.
(FMT) - Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was involved in covering up the multi-billion ringgit losses by Bank Negara some 20 years ago, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin claimed.
In his blog posting yesterday, the blogger said that even DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang had called Anwar a liar in 1994 when the latter was alleged to have denied it.
“Lim raised the matter in Parliament back in the mid-1990 and Anwar denied it. Lim was so upset that he accused Anwar of lying to the august House,” alleged Raja Petra.
Raja Petra was responding to former Bank Negara deputy governor Dr Rosli Yaakop’s allegation two days ago, when the latter reportedly told a forum that there were four people involved in the losses amounting to RM30 billion suffered by Bank Negara between 1992 and 1993.
Rosli named former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, former Bank Negara governor, the late Jaafar Hussein, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nor Mohamed Yakcop of being involved in the scandal.
He accused them of gambling recklessly on the foreign exchange (forex) speculation activities at the expense of Bank Negara’s assets.
It was said that Jaafar and Nor were trying to beat billionaire financial speculator George Soros in the forex speculation market.
When the matter was raised in Parliament in April 1994 by Lim, Anwar had denied it, saying he was “fully satisfied with the reasons” given by Jaffar for the Bank Negara’s forex losses.
Raja Petra said that Anwar’s attempt to cover up the losses itself is tantamount to him being involved in the scandal.
The blogger also queried Rosli, who is also a PAS member, on why he did not expose the matter in 1999, when he resigned from Bank Negara.
“Why after more than 10 years did he decide to speak up even though he has not offered any evidence to support his allegation?” asked Raja Petra.
I would like to share my thoughts from a layman’s point of view as follows:
When the matter was raised in Parliament in April 1994 by Lim, Anwar had denied it, saying he was “fully satisfied with the reasons” given by Jaffar for the Bank Negara’s forex losses.
•It looks like the person who really tried to cover up the case was the late Jaffar Hussein, the then Bank Negara Governor. If Anwar was “fully satisfied with the reasons” and Lim had no evidence in hand or grounds to push the case further, Lim, being the astute politician he is, knew it was pointless to pursue the case presupposing that the four great-time gamblers had faultlessly and fully covered their tracks.
Raja Petra said that Anwar’s attempt to cover up the losses itself is tantamount to him being involved in the scandal.
•If what Anwar said was tantamount to him being involved in the scandal, I believe it should be proven, not assumed, that Anwar was privy to the case as well. Isn’t this stretching the matter? If not, couldn’t it similarly be said that Lim was “fully satisfied with the reasons” given by Anwar and therefore it was tantamount to Lim also being involved in the scandal? Certainly, no!
The blogger also queried Rosli, who is also a PAS member, on why he did not expose the matter in 1999, when he resigned from Bank Negara.
•I believe Dr. Rosli is no fool and neither was he “chicken.” He was not only careful and realistic but also smart and wise knowing that was not the right time to expose the matter then, unless he wanted himself and maybe his entire family persecuted by the authorities. Remember how Marina Yusof was mercilessly treated and punished after she challenged the PM then?
“Why after more than 10 years did he decide to speak up even though he has not offered any evidence to support his allegation?” asked Raja Petra.
•Probably, he is brave enough and he thinks it’s the right time to do so now. He knew and we wonder how many others with him knew about the nonsense that was going on in Bank Negara then even though they might not have access to the hard evidence. Did Bank Negara ever dabble in forex trading and lost billions as alleged? If it did, that meant it was an undeniable fact, the evidence notwithstanding. Maybe it’s time to get to the bottom of his horrendous felony.