About Syed Mokhtar, Daniel, Sophia, Muhyiddin, Norainee, Farsi & a bit on PMX.

The Syed Mokhtar and Muhyiddin Yassin connection by Hussein Hamid

Here is the second of a series of articles from Hussein Hamid on the Syed Mokhtar and Muhyiddin Yassin connection .

The long and winding road that has led Syed Mokhtar from the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth prime minister, down the path to massive wealth, has now encountered a somewhat rocky path with the arrival of the tenth prime minister - PMX.

In December 2022, this tenth prime minister said that his government would look into BERNAS's concession period, which gave it the power to monopolize rice imports, as well as its profits and turnover. DSAI said that Syed Mokhtar took ownership of BERNAS after he bought 31% of the company’s shares from Tan Boon Seng for about RM800 million and Shahidan’s stakes at RM400 million.

If PMX had got that information from Syed Mokhtar, then Syed lied to Anwar. In truth, Shahidan was Syed Mokhtar's trustee/nominee. From the time Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara (LPN) was corporatized to be BERNAS Sdn. Bhd, en route to a listing, Syed Mokhtar already owned at least 90% of that entity, with the other 10% held by the original Chinese partner.

This Syed guy had always been using politicians as nominees and never had any shares or positions in any of his companies, except now, when he has started transferring those shares to his son Daniel and daughter Sophia.

If truth be told, I doubt if PMX, or anyone else, would know the extent of Syed’s interest in most of his undertakings...especially those private ones.

Yesterday, after my posting "Of Syed Mokhtar, Muhyiddin, politics, business, & a 40-year 'friendship' that made everyone rich?", I received a number of messages that asked if I knew about the problems between Syed Mokhtar and Muhyiddin's family?

My immediate response to those queries was simply this. Family matters are best left alone. No self-respecting gentleman would want to intrude into these private matters.

Fortunately, I am no gentleman, and so I will write on these matters if and when I want to.

And the 'when' starts with this first tale when Syed Mokhtar got an earful of what Farsi, Muhyiddin's eldest son, thought of his handling of their family's joint wealth as a result of their 'partnership' in various companies on KLSE and other joint investments in land and other 'business opportunities' managed by Syed Mokhtar....but I am getting ahead of myself...so let us go back in time a bit.

A year or two after that deep economic recession and stock market crash of 1997/1998, Syed Mokhtar finally found the courage to meet Muhyiddin to tell him that they had both lost all of their joint shareholdings of companies on KLSE and also all other joint investments in land, and projects. At that time, Muhyiddin had also fallen politically and was no longer a threat to Syed Mokhtar.

Muhyiddin eldest son, young Farsi was upset with Syed Mokhtar and his father for allowing the family to lose almost everything of substantial value and so the Muhyiddin and Syed Mokhtar's families went their separate ways after that huge argument.

But as fate would have it, Muhyiddin made a surprise comeback. In 2008, he contested and won the UMNO deputy presidency and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education by Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009.

With Muhyiddin now as DPM, Farsi demanded that his father ask Syed Mokhtar to their house and let him speak to Syed Mokhtar. Farsi told his father not to interfere when he did vent his pent-up anger on the crooked nose faked Arab.

Syed Mokhtar got a verbal bashing from Farsi who demanded that Syed Mokhtar set right what rightfully had belonged to his family in their joint business undertakings in the past. After that dressing down by Farsi, Syed Mokhtar told his men that he was really furious that Farsi had humiliated him - the same Farsi whom he had used to cradle and carry when Farsi was a baby.

After Syed Mokhtar left the three-storey rented house that Muhyiddin was then living in (believed to be owned by Syed Mokhtar through some trustee and paid for by the govt while Muhyiddin was a Minister), it was Muhyiddin's turn to get a verbal broadside from wife Puan Sri Norainee and son for being stupid enough to ask for a private loan from Syed Mokhtar (against the security of their land in Kelana Jaya), to build their present house in Bukit Damansara. In their mind, Muhyiddin could save face by just selling the Kelana Jaya land first and then building their house in Bukit Damansara!

Despite all that, Muhyiddin still had a soft spot for Syed Mokhtar as evidenced in his recent claim of their 40-year-old friendship - since their bachelor days. But their families have remained estranged to this day.

I am not surprised that maybe when Muhyiddin was PM recently, he might have thought that it was his turn to demand some recompense from Syed Mokhtar for all the 'troubles' of their past partnerships by demanding this or that, which may include the RM195M political donations for PN.

Syed Mokhtar, for his part, would have heaved a sigh of relief when Muhyiddin was recently charged with corruption and money laundering, and Syed Mokhtar will be more grateful for some more relief, if or when Muhyiddin is found guilty and incarcerated for the crimes that he has now been charged with.

Syed Mokhtar is resourceful and adept at overcoming adverse situations. Especially now that he has got the money to buy anything....and by anything, I mean anything...nudge nudge wink wink.

If he cannot buy PMX, and I doubt he will be able to do that, then he may consider buying people closest to PMX to soften PMX stance towards him and his business empire. Knowing him, he will invest in what is necessary to do just that.

Today he is just over 70 with 2 very young children, Daniel and daughter Sophia to worry about. They are both under 30. Are they ready should they be needed to take charge of his business empire?

And he has just recovered from prostate cancer and spends most of his time overseas to avoid the simmering heat of the political conundrum back home in Bolehland.

To be continued.

P.S

Why is Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary a crooked nose-faked Arab? He is no Arab...he hails from Uttar Pradesh in India. Mother tongue likely Bojpuri. Nowhere near Arabia. The Uttar Pradesh people were good at cattle rearing. Syed Mokhtar began business by smuggling cattle from Thailand across the border to Kedah. Enough said.

From Hussein Hamid Steadyaku47

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