THE recent scandal with the Ilham Tower and its worth (billions of Ringgit) has netizens questioning several matters regarding the former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Netizens are also asking why he is not listed among the wealthiest in Malaysia, given that his wealth is alleged to be in the billions.
Daim revealed he made significant financial losses during his service as a politician from 1984 to 2001.
“If I had stayed in business and done nothing to actively grow these assets, the value of my liquid stock holdings alone would be worth over RM50 bil today. That is my cost today in my decision to join the government,” said Daim in a media statement last week.
His statement raised more questions among netizens.
Meniaga kilang garam pun bangkrap tapi lepas masuk politik tetiba kaya. Kalau mencecah puluhan berbillion kenapa nama tak tersenarai antara terkaya Malaysia nampak sangat tak isytihar harta secara betul.
— Mandalorian1605 (@mandalorian1605) January 12, 2024
(He owned a salt factory that went bankrupt, but after entering politics, he became rich. If the wealth reaches tens of billions, why isn’t the name listed among Malaysia’s richest, indicating a lack of proper declaration of assets.)
Other users are calling for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to get the former politician to declare his assets.
SPRM suruh isytihar je… dah kaya kena la masuk list 10 terkaya di Malaysia… orang tak dengki pun Tun Daim kaya-raya… Baru la tau orang melayu ada yg kaya.. ni asik2 ckp syed moktar je yg kaya…
— kamarul (@se7tu2One) January 12, 2024
(MACC should ask him to declare all his assets… As he is already wealthy, he has to be included in the list of the 10 richest in Malaysia… People don’t even envy Tun Daim for being rich… Many found out that there are Malays who are rich. It’s funny how many are saying Syed Moktar is the only one who’s rich.)
Some defended Daim, saying most people who critique him are simply jealous.
Budak2 baru lahir jgn komen la kalau tak kenal siapa Daim. Sejak sebelum jadi ahli politik memang dah kaya raya. Manusia ni tak habis2 dgn dengki dan irihati. Bila si kaya tak mahu bantu masa engko berpolitik, engko tekan dia. Itu yg berlaku sebenarnya zaman tu
— Raz Ali (@donrazali) January 12, 2024
(Kids should not comment if they don’t know who Daim is. Before becoming a politician, he was already wealthy. Humans are endless with envy and jealousy. When the rich don’t want to help you when you’re in politics, you press him. That’s what happens at that time.) – Jan 13, 2023
