Mahathir Mohamad returned to power pledging to hold authority to account
Despite public delight, there is a mood of some paranoia in Malaysian business and finance right now – and you can see why. Since the shock opposition election victory on May 9 restored 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad to power, deposing the party he once led, one person after another with ties to ousted prime minister Najib Razak has been removed from leadership positions in Malaysia’s key institutions.
And the big question for many is: who is next? Is it me?
Mahathir returned to power pledging to hold authority to account over the 1MDB scandal and other alleged corruption in Malaysian public and corporate life. Already it is clear that he and his coalition of opposition parties will go further – and that those who stood closely with Najib can expect to face removal.
This has already had serious ramifications for many of the most senior figures in Malaysia.
Tan Sri Muhammad Ibrahim, the governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank, resigned on June 6, just two years into what was supposed to be a five-year term.
