THE air in corporate Malaysia is brick-thick with suspicion. Nary a major deal is trumpeted without it falling under the microscope. For investors and minority shareholders, that's clap-worthy; informed decisions are best made when there are multiple interpretations. For company directors and major shareholders, it keeps them on their toes. Who would fault that!
The landmark share swap exercise involving major shareholders of national carrier Malaysia Airline and AirAsia Bhd till today continues to be riddled by nagging doubts that one party got the better of the deal. Then, there's Sime Darby Bhd's purchase of a 30% block in property company Eastern & Oriental Bhd which unleashed a string of governance-related allegations, even going as far as threatening a potential reputational fallout of the chief securities regulator.