PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) cannot find a more opportune time to clear the air once and for all by being invited to speak at the Qatar Economic Forum organised by Bloomberg.
This will allow him to get to the bottom of the alleged misreporting by the US financial news outlet that Putrajaya is mulling to build a second casino in Johor’s Forest City, according to PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.
“As Malaysians, we are very proud of this invitation. Of course, PMX should use this opportunity to clear the Malaysian government’s good name tarnished by the said misreporting,” the Pasir Mas MP penned on his Facebook page with a tinge of sarcasm.
“Shame on this (news) agency! Although yet to take legal action against this news agency, our brave PMX will teach it a good lesson on the international stage!”
For context, the annual forum powered by Bloomberg has listed Anwar who is also the Finance Minister as one of the heads of government who will speak at the event in Doha slated to be held from May 14 to 16.
Anwar’s presence at a forum linked to Bloomberg is likely to reinforce calls from critics who have urged him to take legal action against Bloomberg for having tarnished his image over the aforementioned damning report.
Recall that the Bloomberg report which has since been denied has alleged that Anwar met with tycoons Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun (Berjaya Group founder) and Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (Genting Group head honcho) as well as representatives of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim King of Malaysia to discuss plans to open a casino in Forest City.
Anwar denied the report by calling it a lie but stopped short of saying whether he would seek a retraction from the US-based media group. Instead, he called on the parties named in the article to “take the necessary action” following which Berjaya Group and Genting Malaysia have all rejected the claims made in the Bloomberg report.
Bloomberg has neither removed nor retracted its article so far, although it has added a line on Anwar’s denial.
Last week, opposition activists Badrul Hisham Shaharin @ CheGuBard and Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris @ Papagomo were charged with sedition for their comments quoting the Bloomberg report.
On Monday (May 6), police recorded a statement from Bloomberg journalist Ram Anand over the international news agency’s report about purported plans to build a casino in Forest City.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the investigation was initiated after a police report was lodged by a lawyer of Berjaya Group founder Vincent Tan. The matter was being investigated for sedition, criminal defamation and the misuse of network facilities. – May 8, 2024
