TUN DR MAHATHIR - MUKHRIZ HAD TO 'BEG' TO REINSTATE OPCOM-TM DEAL AND KHAIRY & PATRICK LIM ARE CONTROLLING TERENGGANU

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister informed that his son, Mukhriz had to beg the ‘powerful’ Umno Youth deputy chief and son-in-law of Mahathir's successor, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Khairy Jamaluddin to have the Opcom-Telekom Malaysia project reinstated, but ended up having the project’s value slashed by 15 percent. This RM200 million project deal was scrapped after Tun Dr Mahathir had stepped down as prime minister in 2003. This forced his son to request Khairy assistance although Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied the critics claim that Khairy influences the premier’s decisions with some claiming to the extent of describing the 31-year-old Oxford Graduate as the country’s de facto prime minister. In the meanwhile, Tun Dr. Mahathir defended that the RM200 Million contract that Mukhriz had obtained from Telekom Malaysia (TM) was a deal obtained through proper channel. Mukriz is the Chairman and Managing Director of the fibre optic company, Opcom Sdn Bhd.

Dr Mahathir spoke to reporters in Terengganu in response to an article by Malaysiakini, on thursday that reported that documents pertaining to the business dealings involving Mahathir’s children are being posted in the internet. Sources disclosed that this was done to counter Mahathir’s criticisms of Scomi Bhd’s involvement in government projects. Tun Dr. Mahathir has alleged that Scomi, which is controlled by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son, Kamaluddin had received numerous government contracts after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took office since 2003.

A document from the Finance Ministry dated 7 October 2003 is being circulated in a ‘pro-Umno’ blog that an agreement letter to appoint Opcom as the supplier of fibre optics worth RM214.2 million to Telekom Malaysia was done through a direct deal and not via a tender process.

During the same interview in Terengganu, Tun Dr Mahathir informed that Khairy Jamaluddin, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law and his business partner, Patrick Lim are controlling Terengganu. Tun Dr. Mahathir further quoted that a Singapore newspaper, Straits Times refers Patrick Lim as 'Patrick Badawi'.