PROMINENT businessmen Stanley Thai Kim Sim appeared to be emphasising his loyalty to the new government after paying RM350,000 for a photograph of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad at Pakatan Harapan’s inaugural fundraiser dinner last night.

Thai, who is co-founder and managing director of glove-maker Supermax Corp Bhd, had gone on stage to pose with Dr Mahathir along with the autographed photo of the 93-year-old leader in his Putrajaya office.

The photo was taken on May 23, a few days after Dr Mahathir was sworn-in as prime minister.

Before the May 9 polls, Thai had publicly apologised to former prime minister Najib Razak for having supported the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat opposition in the 2013 general election.

“I regretted getting involved in GE13 – I believe I had been influenced by the opposition. Being a businessman, I should not be involved in politics under any circumstances, and I truly regretted it.

“I am now sincerely seeking forgiveness from Datuk Seri Najib for what I had done in the last election,” Thai had said in a statement on April 14.

Just prior the 2013 elections, he had said at a fundraising event that he would join most Malaysian Chinese “in abandoning support for Najib” and vote for the opposition for the first time.

He had admitted to attending several subsequent events involving opposition leaders, including fundraising events and ceramah.

“Subsequently, with much regret, I realised that I was being influenced by the propaganda and the opposition during the election time, and I truly regretted it and realised it was wrong to get involved in politics as a businessman,” Thai had said then. 

A month later, Pakatan Harapan created history by defeating Barisan Nasional at the 14th general election.

Former Umno leader Rafidah Aziz had resigned as independent and non-executive chairman of Supermax two days after Thai’s statement. The former trade minister, who served in Dr Mahathir’s first administration, later campaigned for Pakatan Harapan.

Thai is currently fighting an insider trading charge related to Supermax unit APL Industries Bhd (APLI). In November, 2017, he was sentenced by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to a five-year jail term and RM5 million fine for the insider trading offences committed when he was CEO of APLI, a company that was delisted from Bursa Malaysia in 2009.

The sentence was the country’s first imposed for insider trading. Thai, who founded Supermax with his wife in 1987, was estimated by Forbes to be worth US$225 million in 2014 and was regarded then as one of the country’s top 50 wealthiest individuals.

Meanwhile, controversial carpet merchant Deepak Jaikishan also made an appearance at last night’s dinner, winning a RM150,000 bid for a black-and-white signed photo of PKR advisory council chairman Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Deepak, a former associate of Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor, last month filed a RM676 million suit against Najib for conspiracy and using his position to exert undue influence over the sale of 90ha of land in Kapar, Selangor. The suit also named Rosmah as a defendant.

Deepak also filed a RM52.6 million suit filed against Najib over a soured 2013 property deal involving 80 condominium units in Kuala Lumpur. 

Six photographs were auctioned last night. The highest bid was made by Platinum Victory Holdings Sdn Bhd executive director Gan Yee Hin, who paid RM500,000 for an autographed photograph of  Dr Mahathir and several PH leaders after they were sworn-in as cabinet ministers.

A signed photograph of DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang in Parliament was sold for RM100,000 to a buyer named Hwang from China.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s portrait fetched RM110,000 to MKH Berhad executive chairman Chen Kooi Chiew.

A portrait of Mohamad Sabu was sold for RM10,000 to an unidentified man from Pahang.

Dr Mahathir later told donors that that they still need to go through the open tender process for government contracts.

“I want to apologise as there will be no special treatment for you,” he was quoted as saying. . – December 8, 2018.