TONY Pua has refuted claims by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that he had interfered  in government business during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

The DAP national publicity secretary said Dr Mahathir had singled him out as a trusted adviser to former finance minister Lim Guan Eng and accused him of unauthorised involvement in government business.

Pua said that he (Dr Mahathir) had accused him of being in business negotiations involving the government despite not being empowered to do so, and had resorted to threats.
 
“Relating one incident involving the adviser, Dr Mahathir alleged that I threatened a property developer who had faced financial problems in a joint venture project with the government to develop a multi-billion ringgit complex in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
 
Pua said Dr Mahathir had alleged: “Now, this particular DAP adviser did in fact make this threat despite the fact that billions had already been spent, and he did so without reference to or indeed getting any authorisation from the government.”
 
“Let me state upfront that this is a completely false allegation,” said Pua in a statement.

Pua was referring to Dr Mahathir who had described in his soon-to-be-launched memoirs that a DAP man (whom he did not name) was “delegated a lot” by Lim, but had come to think that he could wield power over civil servants.

The Langkawi MP also said that the individual also took part in business negotiations involving the government despite not being empowered to do so, and had resorted to threats.

“It’s not the way a government works, and I put a stop to all instances of it that I was aware of, but it was this kind of behaviour that allowed the Umno cybertroopers to play up ethnic insecurities,” Mahathir wrote in the 304-page Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia.

While Mahathir did not name the individual, it is clear that a senior DAP leader had been Lim’s close confidante at the finance ministry during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

Pua said that Dr Mahathir made public his “grouses” in his upcoming book with references clearly targeted against him, even though he was not specifically named.

He said this is also not the first time Dr Mahathir has made the allegation.

“He had summoned Lim back in November 2018 to his office to reprimand him for my purported actions.

“The problem is, I could never have ‘threatened’ the property developer because I have never personally met or spoken to the developer.”
 
Pua was referring to Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd, which is part of the Indonesian Mulia International Group. – December 7, 2021.