The Bmf Scandal

Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Limited (BMF) was a financial institution set up in Hong Kong at the end of 1977. Its parent bank was the Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad (BBMB) which was established in 1965 with public funds to promote Bumiputera participation in the economy. In the 1980s, during Mahathir Mohamad’s administration, BMF lost M$2.5 billion, allegedly due to fraud and corruption, which could not be accounted for until today. After about 35 years, another similar colossal financial scandal was alleged to have taken place through 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). 1MDB is a development company set up by the Malaysian government in 2009, during Najib Razak’s administration, with a focus on the long-term economic development of the country. However, within about eight years, it has run up more than RM42 billion in debts and key figures are tainted by allegations of abuse of power and corruption. It is therefore timely to revisit the BMF case, to discuss and compare it with the present interest in the 1MDB case. This book will highlight the alleged fraud and corruption that took place in both cases – tracing the money trail, the problematic structure of both organisations, the political and social structure and environment in Malaysia during the occurrence of both scandals, and finally compare both cases, to provide an analysis of the social and political progress of Malaysia in the last three decades.

Is capitalism in Southeast Asia 'real' or a 'chimera', that is, some Southeast Asian derivative of capitalism that ultimately will not be sustainable? Malaysia, where an intimate relationship has been forged between the state and business in an effort to create Malay capitalists, presents an interesting and illuminating case in the debate. In this work Peter Searle identifies the complex interaction between the state, the dominant political party (UMNO) and business as the source of dynamism or defeat in the development of Malay capitalists. He also challenges a common view that Chinese business groups are completely different from Malay business groups. Overall this study argues against drawing sharp contrasts between dependency and self-reliance, between state and capital, and between rent-seekers and true 'productive' capitalists. For it is from that amalgam of categories and groups the study concludes that a form of capitalism is emerging in Malaysia which is nonetheless remarkably dynamic and resilient, despite its unorthodox origins.

Corruption is a disease that can sweep through a society like a tidal wave, leaving in its wake a trail of negligence, lethargy, inefficiency and callous disregard of man’s inhumanity to man. What is it like to live inside such a society? Why has it taken such strong root in so many countries? Is there no sense of outrage and shame against such a phenomenon among our elite? What can be done to stem the tide? Is it corruption as it is known in the West? These disturbing questions and more are answered in this book. Corruption in all its forms, bribery nepotism and extortion, is shown for what it is – a major cause of the dehumanization and victimization of innocent people. The corrupt have no aspirations for the betterment of their societies. For this reason, all decent people must be gravely concerned with the problem and nurture the next generation to confront the corrupt and disrupt their way of life.

The relationship between government and business has become a central issue in East Asia since the financial crisis of 1997. As the Asian economies try to advance the reform process, recent scandals involving corruption and cronyism have demonstrated the ongoing significance of the issue. This edited book features a range of distinguished international specialists and explores the interaction between politics and business across the region. Detailed case-studies focus on Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. This is the first comprehensive introduction to government-business relations in the region and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the problems faced by the Asian economies.