The chapters on the currency crisis came immediately before the chapter on the final fallout with Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir had disagreed with Anwar over the ways of dealing with the crisis. Reading on how Mahathir analysed the crisis and how he set out to form a select committee to review, daily, the turn of events again highlighted the meticulousness in the person of Mahathir. While Anwar was happy to be dictated by the recommendations of the 'experts' from the IMF and the World Bank, Mahathir had his own unfledgling determination in not surrendering our sovereignity to the powers that be from Europe and America. He just could not accept things that did not make sense to him. He would study and, later, even call back Mohd Noor Yaacob, the principal officer of Bank Negara some years ago ( who had taken responsibility and resigned from the bank with the then Governor )who had led the bank's involvement in currency trading and suffered a substantial loss from the trading. But the 'lessons learnt' from that 'experience' came in handy to face the onslaught of currency traders who were attacking the ringgit and threatening to bankrupt many of our companies and banks. Mahathir has now come out correct with his moves then. We had read Mohd Nor Yaacob's story about how he was recalled by Mahathir to explain to him about currency trading ( reported in the NST if pakdokter is not mistaken) - but here in this book, Mahathir has writen a clear and detailed description of the 'operation currrency trading'. It was like reading a story from the war operation room.
Mahathir acknowledged that not all of the experts in his 'select economic council' agreed with him. The Bank Negara Governor then did not even attend the meetings but just sent his Deputy Governor. The way Mahathir wrote about their resignations gave pakdokter the impression that they were directed by Anwar to do so. It was the current Bank Governor, Zeti Aziz, who was then made Acting Governor, who helped Mahathir execute the regime of currency control successfully. And today, Zeti Aziz is internationally recognised as one of the best Central Bankers the world.
How pakdokter wished that these principal actors of that time would write their own memoirs.........
Anwar Ibrahim's story had already come out in one of the earlier chapters, although it was merely to tell how Anwar got to become an UMNO member. Again Mahathir has broken the myth and common belief that it was Mahathir who persuaded Anwar to join Umno. Mahathir revealed that it was Anwar who approached him and wanted to be a party member because he wanted to change UMNO from within and not just be an oppositionist by leading ABIM or joining PAS.
When he made Anwar DPM, the IGP told Mahathir about police information on Anwar's 'sexuality' - Mahathir did not believe him - just like so many of us. However, 4 years later when this was brought out again to him and after interviewing some of some the alleged 'victims' - Mahathir was now somewhat convinced and had confronted Anwar with the facts of the allegation in front of the UMNO Supreme Council. If the reported response and reply from Anwar (with regards to the allegation) to the Supreme Council was correct, then Anwar, it would have seemed, have indirectly and unconsciously admitted to his (heterosexual) transgressions. Then pakdokter would agree that Anwar should have been dismissed for being 'morally' unsuitable to be the next PM......
Again, so many of these people who were there at the meeting that night could have come out with their own memoirs so that history could be recorded and some lessons could be learnt.....
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