What next for Johari Ghani?
Unpacking one of Malaysia's most prolific rainmakers.
📢 A few updates. For Friday’s article on Gobi’s deep tech forays, I have removed the name of the investor that was initially mentioned in the article behind nanoSkunkWorkX’s SAFE agreement, as its pending confirmation. The rest remains.
Indonesian businessman Riza Chalid is a wanted man. I mapped his Malaysian connection some time back. He is supposedly seeking refuge in Malaysia.
Indonesian investigators traced Riza’s whereabouts to Johor where he is alleged to have married Malaysian royalty. Malaysia says it won’t protect the Indonesian fugitive financier.
On the controversial Selangor parking concession, newsletter readers would have already been tipped off that a “listed company with relevant experience” was in the running.
That has now been confirmed: Bursa-listed ITMAX has secured what bidders describe as a lucrative deal.
Stories on Riza and the Selangor parking fracas made this brief here:
Now, I was rummaging through my file of ex-government consultants when one name jumped out: Razak Baginda. He was former PM Najib Razak’s whisperer.
Not the only one, of course, but certainly among the more high-profile figures before 2018.
Razak was at the centre of the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shariibuu and the purported kickbacks surrounding Malaysia’s purchase of Scorpene submarines from France.
The last time he made headlines was this February, when the Shah Alam High Court ordered him and the Malaysian government to pay RM9 million to Altantuya’s family, pending an appeal of a 2022 court ruling.
As for public appearances, he resurfaced in an interview with former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming about four months ago. Ong described him as an “old friend.”
The conversation touched on geopolitics, foreign policy, think tanks, and even former US president Donald Trump.
The session didn’t go down well with viewers. Many questioned the wisdom of featuring someone with such damning allegations as an interview subject.
It’s just one of those things media practitioners have to contend with. Sure, a human being is multifaceted, but should we ignore the allegations?
Tough questions, and ones that often blur the line between journalistic curiosity and ethical judgment.
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Today’s newsletter takes a look at Johari Abdul Ghani.
He wears multiple hats: investor and corporate figure, Umno supreme council member, Titiwangsa MP, and minister for plantations and commodities (as well as acting minister for natural resources and environmental sustainability).
Johari draws attention for several reasons: his ability to move institutional-level capital in public markets, his appeal among segments of the private equity and venture capital space, and, for media practitioners, his involvement in the industry.