How control of the economy corrupted Umno

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After the formation of Barisan Nasional in 1973,  prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein appointed Hussein Onn as the new finance minister in 1974, taking over from MCA leader Tan Siew Sin, who had occupied the post since 1959. For the first time since independence, Umno controlled the country’s purse.

When Hussein became PM, after the death of  Razak, he brought in Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, then chief executive of Petronas, to be the new finance minister in 1976.

Hussein Onn had a strategy. In exchange, he appointed MCA leader, Lee San Choon, as the new transport minister on Nov 1, 1979.

Since then, the transport portfolio has remained with an MCA leader, except when Pakatan Harapan won GE14 and the post went to Loke Siew Fook of DAP.


Transport to riches
The continued dominance of MCA in the country’s business and financial matters has been well documented. As the Chinese controlled almost all the commercial activities in the country, MCA frequently set the agenda and influenced public policy on commerce and industry.

The Umno-led government was simply the political administrator. They had no choice but to “kow-tow” to the “towkays” in MCA, the centrifugal force built around the leader who also controlled the transport ministry.

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