Ex-news editor is Australian DPM
DAP, but what’s wrong about helping fund us (BN) as well, as we are the ones who have been helping him all this while,” Nazri told a press conference later.
“I consider Kuok as a man who has forgotten his roots. He is arrogant, boastful, and now living in another country and criticising his own,” he said.
Nazri was r e s ponding t o allegations by controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin last Friday SYDNEY: The junior partner in Australia’s coalition government yesterday elected a former newspaper editor as its new leader, who takes over as deputy prime minister after an embarrassing sex scandal threatened a decades-old conservative alliance.
Michael McCormack ( pix) was chosen in a party ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party after Joyce, who campaigned on family values, resigned over an extramarital affair with his former media secretary. Joyce is expecting a child with his former staff member and has left his marriage of 24 years.
Under the terms of the coalition deal with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s centre-right Liberal Party, the leader of the Nationals automatically becomes deputy prime minister. Turnbull, also a former j ournalist, welcomed McCormack’s appointment. – Reuters
that Kuok was funding DAP through his nephew James, with the intention of overthrowing the government.
In a statement issued by his office yesterday, Kuok denied Raja Petra’s claims, saying they were entirely untrue, defamatory, and that he would take action against the blogger.
Other Umno leaders, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, had also hit out at “Sugar King” Kuok, saying he would not have been as successful had it not been for the opportunities and policies by the government.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman urged the tycoon not to forget his roots and how he managed to become one of the country’s richest man.
Both DAP secretarygeneral Lim Guan Eng and James have denied the allegation on funding DAP.
DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang also denied receiving funds from Kuok or through intermediaries such as the tycoon’s relatives here.
The Chinese press reported yesterday that MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong had spoken out in Kuok’s defence, describing the allegation by Raja Petra as unfair and “pure speculation”.
“The Robert Kuok we know is a righteous businessman,” said Wee, using the Chinese expression: “An honest man does nothing underhand” to describe him.
Guan Eng said Malaysians should be lauding Kuok’s achievements in becoming a billionaire in Asia in spite of global challenges.
“Kuok is a figure we must be proud of, not ridicule for political mileage,” he said, adding Kuok had not funded DAP, and neither had James.
National Patriots Association president BrigGen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji also defended Kuok, slamming Raja Petra for what he claimed to be fake news written by “a very unprincipled person”.