There were NO Anwar cronies ?

Blog Rocky's Bru
Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Not even one crony? The Star online's report, Anwar: Name my 'cronies' (excerpts below) is intriguing.

The question that came to my mind was, Did Anwar really say that?When Anwar Ibrahim was DPM and Finance Minister, many businessmen were linked to him.

There were, or course, many, many more who claimed that they were linked to him. The joke among us disillusioned reporters then was: "Mahathir has Ting, Anwar has Tong".

Sure, people said Ting Pek Khiing and Tong Kooi Ong were fairly big corporate names even before they were labelled Dr M and Anwar's cronies, but the fact remained that they were seen to be extra close to the two.

I also remember the list of so-called cronies put up by Dr M at the PWTC in 1998. It was said that there were many Anwar's cronies on that list. Can't recall their names, though.

BUTTERWORTH: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has challenged his detractors to name the people who allegedly benefited from his position when he was deputy prime minister and finance minister.

“There was no such thing. If you know of the people who benefited, you should identify them. Do not just make claims,” he said.

The PKR leader, who is contesting the Permatang Pauh by-election, was asked to comment on his involvement in bumiputra policies when he was in the Federal Government and the award of projects without tenders.