Saturday 2 March 2013

Anwar promises end to practice of enriching politicians' children



Sunday, 03 March 2013 10:01
Anwar promises end to practice of enriching politicians' children

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has assured that Pakatan Rakyat will end the current practice where ruling politicians enrich their children through industrial monopolies.
"We will make sure that monopoly of gas, oil and booze will be stopped," Anwar said, taking a jibe at former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who yesterday denied that his son Mirzan Mahathir had benefited from Petronas.
Anwar said the BN government's practice of invoking Malay rights in order to enrich their own families would also be a thing of the past.
"Awarding billions of ringgit worth of contact to the son of the former PM who himself is the advisor to Petronas.... no, this will never happen again," said Anwar.
Prior to this, Anwar had questioned the government's below-market sale of its stake in ExxonMobil to Phillipines brewery giant San Miguel Corp, of which Mirzan was one of its directors.
Anwar said Mirzan despite resigning from San Miguel still remained a director of its associate company Petron Corporation. In 2011, San Miguel offered to buy ExxonMobil’s stake in the Malaysian oil refiner at a lower price than the current market value.
But yesterday, Mahathir lashed out at his former deputy and said his sons were successful whether in business or politics due to their own hard work.
"If they succeed in business or politics, it is due to their own efforts. And all this took place after I resigned as prime minister," said Mahathir. - Harakahdaily