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ECM Libra, like Vincent Tan, tries its luck

NO PUBLIC DEBATE EXISTS in Malaysia. The threat of defamation, usually by men and companies with much to keep hidden, is thrown with alacrity to establish their position. They are in a hurry for they will lose their influence when the prime minister retires. Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Berjaya Corporation were Mr Khairy and ECM Libra. He sued this writer for defamation ten years ago, but that is not over yet although he and his company does not influence Pak Lah now as he did Tun Mahathir Mohamed then. He tries to be close to Pak Lah, but can he succeed where there is ECM Libra around? These companies will not explain, and Malaysians will know them as superb companies, and mention only that it is successful because they are close to the prime minister. Even political parties and MPs are not allowed to ask questions. Malaysians should be kept ignorant while these companies stole a march over other companies which do not have such connections.

Why is ECM Libra threatening harakahdaily.com and the PAS MP, Mr Husam Musa, with defamation? So that its activities are not discussed like other companies. It can only be a major company during the period Pak Lah is prime minister. It is an Ali Baba firm, and its Chinese partners know it can progress if it has the right Ali as partners. They have already made much money, usually be selling Malaysian assets to Singapore firms, and getting a commission for arranging the sale. It has enabled a Singapore firm to buy into Pantai Hospital, and so has a say in foreigners working in Malaysia. Concerned people in Malaysia are concerned at this, because Pantai Hospital has the medical records of people in power, and is available to the new shareholders.

MPs are usually not allowed to raise questions in Parliament. The Speaker usually disallows it, and other subjects within the normal preserve of Parliament. The MPs cannot ask questions outside, as Mr Husam did, or they face defamation action. But there is a change. If MPs are not allowed to ask questions, Malaysians ask them, on the internet or elsewhere. UMNO officials tend to keep quiet, hoping the questions will not attract attention and move into the stratosphere causing no interest. It is not an option for these companies to keep quiet, because UMNO members question them also. UMNO is divided into factions, and those against Pak Lah, will ask these questions. If Mr Husam had not asked the questions for which he is sued, those in UMNO who are against the leadership would have.

But would Sime Darby or Permodalan Nasional Berhad threaten its critics with defamation if they enquired too closely with its activities? ECM Libra, which has much to hide and will not explain itself, would. It can only threaten defamation so long as Pak Lah is prime minister. His son-in-law, Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, has bought into ECM Libra for RM9.2 million, which he could not have earned in office. He is son of a ambassador, is not from a wealthy family. and has no access to wealth if he had not married Pak Lah's daughter. He had put his friends in high places. The talk in town is that the cabinet reshuffle, which Pak Lah should have done a year ago, will be done this year as Mr Khairy wants it. Many in UMNO do not like his insiduous role in Pak Lah's government. It is even said Pak Lah is finished as prime minister if the cabinet reshuffle, when it comes, is what Mr Khairy had in mind.

Companies threaten defamation when they have something to hide. The man behind Ethos Consulting, who threatened to sue anyone who suggest he or it or both had links with Mr Khairy, died of an accident, but Mr Khairy and Ethos Consulting were in cahoots in political and business game to root out his enemies, especially in UMNO. Ethos Consulting was advising the defence minister with weaponry whose local agents are Mr Khairy's friends, and this would have removed the deputy prime minister, who is also defence minister, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak, from being the prime minister ater Pak Lah. Because of the sudden death of his friend, Mr Khairy would not have access to the defence ministry, and would have to explain to his aides and friends why they are not getting the orders for weapons. His plan to remove Dato' Hishamudin Hussein, the education minister and UMNO Youth leader, has also gone wrong. His vehicle for that – Putera UMNO – is in trouble, because its chairman, Dato' Azeez Abdul Rahman, has been caught in a vice raid.

The government is split, with Pak Lah on one side and his deputy prime minister on the other. So one side will hold the other to task if they do anything. It was originally thought that Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister now in the opposition, would be brought back into UMNO to ease Dato' Seri Najib out. But there is much opposition to that. Dato' Seri Anwar has burned his bridges in UMNO: he climbed to the near top with the help of UMNO stalwarts whom he later chopped. He would not be given a second chance to do that. Besides, many supporting Dato' Seri Najib, and this group includes the former prime minister, Tun Mahathir, do not want him in UMNO. In any case, the UMNO constitution wants a new member to be five years before he can hold office. This is ignored most times, but it can be used to prevent people like Dato' Seri Anwar from holding the high office from which he was expelled.

His enemies in UMNO wants to bar him permanently from joining the party. A resolution was introduced at last year's UMNO general assembly to do just that, but it was withdrawn when it was realised that three presidents of UMNO would not be allowed back. Two of them, Tengku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn, both prime ministers, did not join UMNO the political party that Tun Mahathir set up; they were presidents on UMNO the nationalist movement. The prime minister of the day dictated what the average Malaysian will believe, but this would not happen now. ECM Libra and Mr Khairy is caught in this. Harakahdaily.com and Mr Husam will defend the ECM Libra action against them. That will at least clarify the law of defamation in Malaysia. If this case goes to court, at least the issues would be clarified.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@streamyx.com