Anwar says Mahathir's sons should return their money unless they can clearly explain how they got it

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the source of the wealth of Mahathir Mohamad’s sons must be clearly explained, or the money must be returned to the government.

Anwar was speaking on an Indonesian news show, Mata Najwa, about a range of topics, including his efforts for a Thai-Cambodian ceasefire and the recent “Turun Anwar” (Step down, Anwar) protest that had taken place in KL on Jul. 26.

Protecting the corruptors

Anwar hit out at former PMs Mahathir Mohammad and Muhyiddin Yassin.

Both men attended the "Turun Anwar" protest and spoke out against Anwar’s leadership, with some speakers even accusing Anwar of corruption.

Anwar said that those who were the most vocal about his alleged corruption now had had their own problems in the past, and many were involved in corruption cases.

The opposition, which should be tough on corruption, Anwar said, was now protecting “the corruptors”.

But Anwar said that he would leave any investigation to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and that he had no intention of making baseless allegations against anyone.

Lets say

According to a translation by the New Straits Times and Mata Najwa’s transcript of the interview, Anwar brought up Mahathir’s name in a hypothetical manner.

Anwar said that if they, likely referring to former leaders now part of the opposition, declared assets of billions of ringgit, the money must be returned if they were unable to explain the source of their wealth.

Anwar said, “Let’s say Mahathir, (if) his son declared he had RM 1.2 billion (S$363 million), they should explain where the money came from.

If they were unable to, the money should be paid back.

Two of Mahathir’s four sons have made declarations to the MACC, with the NST reporting that Mokhzani Mahathir had declared RM 1 billion (S$302 million) worth of assets, while Mirzan Mahathir had declared RM 246.2 million (S$74.53 million).

Mirzan’s home was recently burgled on Jul. 22, with RM1.8 million (around S$546,000) worth of jewellery, such as Cartier bangles, gold rings, and golden chopsticks, being stolen, as well as old passports and foreign currency.

Anwar questioned "Why should the son of a prime minister or minister possess billions of ringgit in wealth", saying that "this culture must end".

"I want real reform, not just on paper or in regulation, but reform in action."

Smooth protest

Anwar credited the Malaysian police for ensuring that the demonstration, which saw at least 20,000 protestors descend on Kuala Lumpur to demand his resignation, proceeded safely and that there was no provocation.

He compared the situation to protests in the past, where participants would end up with injuries, either due to accidents like falling or being hit.

But with the protest going smoothly he cited it as an example of him implementing the reforms that he had promised.

Anwar has personal experience of street protests, having participated in several himself, including the 2012 Bersih 3.0 rally, which saw hundreds of arrests and several injuries as the police deployed tear gas and water cannons against protesters.

More to do

However, he did not shy away from criticising the protest itself, suggesting that the protest lacked meaningful demands.

He said that the protests lacked substance, and Anwar said that the participants had been driven to protest by PAS.

There were no economic proposals or ideas for structural reform; instead, they were mainly targeting non-Muslims, citing religious or ethnic grievances.

Anwar, on the other hand, pointed to his government’s achievements and actions, such as lowering the price of petrol, a large cash injection of about RM15 billion (S$4.5 billion) for all Malaysians, and the raising of the minimum wage.

But he acknowledged that there was still more to do, noting that the cost of living remained high.

Top image via Mata Najwa/Facebook