An ex-aide to two former premiers has claimed that tycoons Vincent Tan and T Ananda Krishnan had 'betrayed' him by not rewarding him for having helped them to turn lucrative projects, some linked to the government, into success stories.

The damning allegations are made by Ahmad Mustapha Hassan in his book 'The Unmaking of Malaysia' to be launched by ex-deputy premier Musa Hitam in Kuala Lumpur today.

The author, who served as press secretary to ex-premier Abdul Razak Hussein and Dr Mahathir Mohamad (then deputy premier) also revealed how these tycoons moved in the inner circle to secure approval for projects.

In a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Ahmad Mustapha, 71, claimed that the well-connected Tan - who heads the Berjaya Group - would not have succeeded without his help.

"He would still be in Golden Arches (without me)," claimed the author in reference to Tan's company which had been given the franchise to run the McDonalds fast food chain in Malaysia.

Asked if he felt that Tan (photo) owes him a lot, he replied: "Yes, a lot".

Recollecting, Ahmad Mustapha said he had come to know Tan in 1984 while serving as general manager in national news agency Bernama, which he had joined after he quit his post as Mahathir's press secretary.

He claimed that Tan, who was building his business empire, had elicited his help over a proposal to privatise Sports Toto - one of two lottery houses set up by the government to fund various sports activities. The company was not doing well at the time.

"I introduced him to Mahathir in Rome. I told him we must work out a way to show that, once we privatise Sports Toto, there will be more money for sports," Ahmad Mustapha said.

He claimed to have advised Tan on the content and approach of the proposal, and to move beyond this as well.

"You must know how to strategise your movement and I know (a former journalist) very close to (then finance minister) Daim Zainuddin who helped him with all media statements.

"After the whole thing was more or less progressing well. (Tan) met me at Ming Court Hotel and showed me a list - this chap and that chap (received) how many percent shares.

My name was there - I didn't ask (for shares) but if (he wanted) to give (me, it was) okay - 15 percent (was allocated to me)."

The majority of the names on the list, he said, were of people in the Prime Minister's Office and Finance Ministry.

"But what happened to my shares? (I got) nothing (in the end),"Ahmad Mustapha said bitterly.

Asked if there was a real agreement over the shares, he replied: "Among friends you don't normally talk like that. We are supposed to be together, it should be a kind of understanding that we are business partners.

"Whatever we get should more or less (be shared). But to me, he (Tan) was not a business partner, he just made use of (me)."

'RM7.5 million lost'

Ahmad Mustapha also said he did not get RM7.5 million worth of shares, allegedly promised by tycoon Ananda sometime in 1982 for helping him to obtain a controlling stake in Inchcape Malaysia.

Inchcape was a company involved in the retailing of motor vehicles and a British-owned company. Ahmad Mustapha's alleged role in helping Ananda (photo) was to 'Malaysianise' the company.

"I did what I had to do in order to make this exercise a success. I knew most of the government personalities... I just had to convince them of the necessity to restructure this British company for the benefit of Malaysia as a whole," he writes in his book.

Ahmad Mustapha, who said he had met with Ananda over this, claimed eventually he was offered a sum amounting to RM165,000 through a middle-man.

"RM165,000 for what? I thought I was supposed to get 2.5 million shares valued at RM3 each," he said during the interview.

He later engaged lawyer Gopal Sri Ram (photo) - now a judge in the Court of Appeal - to initiate legal proceedings against Ananda, after the latter failed to respond to a letter of demand for the RM7.5 million allegedly due to him.

"We did an affidavit but later Sri Ram told me 'Sorry, the court didn't want to register your affidavit. Then Mahathir called me saying 'Withdraw your case against Ananda Krishnan'.

"I asked 'Why?' and he (Mahathir) said I had roped in his (Mahathir's) name - but I didn't."

Copies of the letter and affidavit are included in the book.

Asked if he felt betrayed by the two tycoons, he responded with a firm "yes", adding that he was not worried that his allegations in the book could lead to legal action against him.

"I can't take them to court, so let them take me to court. I know Ananda Krishnan won't go to court, and that Vincent Tan doesn't want it either (because) I can question them there," he said.

Tomorrow: What I saw on May 13

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