BEFORE Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s fall from grace in 1998, several enterprising (some more than others) and ambitious individuals managed to win his trust and entered his innner circle. The careers and wealth of these people, some of whom were young associates, soared as a result of such access.
In 1993, four individuals known to be close to Anwar staged one of the country’s largest management buyouts. The MBO saw Malaysia Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) taking over newspaper group New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP). When Anwar was deposed, the promising careers of the four came to a sudden halt, which again illustrates the inextricable link between politics and business.
