A year after his death, still no proof of Daim's wrongdoing, says Mahathir

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that the various accusations hurled at the late Daim Zainuddin had yet to be proven, despite the ex-finance minister remaining in the crosshairs of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim a year after his death.

Mahathir said that no evidence had been presented to support the allegations of corruption and illegal wealth brought by Anwar against Daim, a business figure who was brought into Mahathir's government twice to steer the country out of economic crises.

"If there was wrongdoing, prove it. Even after his death, they are chasing him, supposedly because his wealth was illegal.

"Show us how his wealth was illegal," Mahathir told MalaysiaNow in conjunction with the first anniversary of Daim's death.

Mahathir, who was responsible for bringing Daim into politics not long after becoming the country's fourth prime minister, also said that Anwar's attack was clearly motivated by a political vendetta.

He said Daim became a target due to their close ties throughout the decades.  

"Anwar harassed Daim, supposedly because Daim committed wrongdoing and so on. Daim never admitted to any of it. He asked to prove that what he did was wrong. But they never did."

Daim, one of Malaysia's best-known finance ministers who was responsible for ensuring the country's economic recovery during the Asian financial crisis more than two decades ago, died at the age of 86 on Nov 13 last year.

Born as Che Abdul Daim Zainuddin, he was a businessman before joining the government as the finance minister under Mahathir's administration.

He was targeted by Anwar towards the end of his life, who accused him of amassing wealth, followed by an investigation against him by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The probe stirred controversy after a Bloomberg report quoting a source who said that MACC chief Azam Baki had been instructed by Anwar to target Daim and Mahathir.

MACC eventually charged Daim and his wife, Naimah Abdul Khalid, with failing to comply with an asset declaration notice. 

Following Daim's death, the prosecution requested that the charges against him be dropped.

Several months later, Azam, fresh from a third extension of his tenure as the MACC chief, announced that the probe would continue.

Daim, who was seen as having Mahathir's trust, was often sent as a government envoy to negotiate complex economic issues.

He was appointed as finance minister in 1984, just as Malaysia was emerging as an industrial hub in the region, aided by large-scale foreign investment.

During the global economic downturn in the mid-1980s, he was seen as spearheading recovery efforts which, in turn, paved the way for Malaysia to emerge as an Asian economic power.

Mahathir said MACC's probe into Daim was part of the government's efforts to build the perception of combating corruption by bringing to the fore a narrative of "extraordinary wealth" accumulated by certain individuals.

He said Daim's wealth was the result of his work as a businessman and had been made long before he ventured into politics.

"But somehow Anwar accused him of giving me money. He never gave me even one sen. I never asked him for money," he added.

He also asked why many Malaysian businessmen who amassed huge fortunes abroad were never accused of stealing.

"These people who do business abroad, they make a huge profit – in the billions.

"They are not oppressed or harassed or accused of stealing money. But Daim allegedly stole. What proof is there of this?" he said.