Syed Mokhtar, please expose those who abuse the system

From the website of The Star: "The caring side of Syed Mokhtar":

"Fresh from the publication of his biography recently, tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary has released a 195-page coffee table book on his global charity work, which many ordinary Malaysians are not familiar with.

Until the release of his biography Syed Mokhtar Albukhary: A Biography by Premilla Mohanlall, where he opened up on many issues for the first time to put the record straight, the reclusive billionaire had always shied away from the media.

He has rarely talked to journalists, except a privileged handful and even then, it is always on an off-the-record basis. This continuous distancing from the media has only put him under greater media scrutiny.

“I wonder why I get bad press when others who have abused the system for personal gains have not been subjected to such media scrutiny. Perhaps it is time to come out and defend myself,” he said in his book.

Envy, jealousy, fascination and simply selfish politics may have been reasons why SM, as he is known, has found it difficult to get the kind of coverage he wants, and deserves."

I have written about the first book (a biography) about Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar here.

This second book about his charity seems again a PR exercise, according to the Linkedin profile of the writer. A pity, because what Malaysia needs is thoroughly investigated books written by independent writers.

But the most interesting of the article in The Star is the above quote in bold. Syed Mokhtar is surely very well informed, why does he not simply name and shame those that have abused the system for personal gains? If laws are broken, it is even his obligation to do so. If no law is broken, he could still come with recommendations how to improve the system to end the abuse, he is in an ideal situation to do that.

Regarding the charity, there has been controversy in the past. Listed companies controlled by Syed Mokhtar have donated huge amounts of money to his charity. Was it not more appropriate to give this money in dividends to all shareholders and to let them decide for themselves what they want to do with their money? And if they want to give it to charity, let them choose the charity of their liking? MSWG has also tackled this issue. "Where is Ze Moola" wrote about it here.