The Lie Of The Land
Another Agenda Daily interview, this time with 37-year old Putera Umno head Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
The good Datuk is currently plagued by rumours that there is more (or less, depending on your viewpoint) to the man than meets the eye.
Azeez denies it of course. But let me select some highlights from the interview and then show you a few things:
"I became a millionaire through the used car trade by the time I was 21."
"In 1997 there was an economic crisis ... and that time I had about 1,000 cars ... the currency flunctuated ... car prices nose-dived."
"In believe in the Kun Fayakun chapter (in the Quran), where God says 'Be, and it is.'"
"The university I studied in was not some fly-by-night university.. it is among the oldest universities in the US - Preston University in Wyoming ..." [Agenda Daily]
And finally, the clincher:
"I am not lying ... why should I lie?"
Azeez is too clever by half.
First of all, there is no such chapter (surah) called Kun Fayakun in the Quran.
That's OK, because it just shows ignorance.
But here are excerpts from an interview with The Sun. Read it carefully:
With my SPM education and experience in business, I did my Masters in Business Management and Administration in one of the universities in the United States.
... My parents were from Baling, Kedah and I decided to do some charity work through the mosques there in the late 90s even though I was a PJ boy all the while.
I was elected treasurer for Belia 4B in Kedah in 1998.
Slowly, I became involved in the Baling Umno Youth division, and now I am the division head there and national youth exco member and also the chairman for 4B in Baling.
... I started (in business) at the age of 18, with a lot of ups and downs. After that, I bought the late Sultan of Selangor's company, Wilayah Arm, and through this company, I moved up and started providing assistance to the needy, especially orphans and the poor.
At that time, with my SPM qualification and my work experience, I decided to pursue a masters in business management and administration in the United States.[The Sun: Tough nut sets pace for Putera]
The truth is, Preston University in Wyoming is not "among the oldest" universities in the US - it is probably among the the newest, being only about 10-years old.
According to its website, the university was established in 1994, and held its first graduation ceremony in 1997.
It is inconceivable that a Preston graduate could mistakenly describe the university as "one of the oldest".
And when did Azeez "millionaire-at-21" Rahim study at Preston?
When Azeez was 21 (16 years ago), Preston had not even been set up yet.
Azeez could only have enrolled, at the earliest, sometime in 1994/95, when he was about 27-years old.
But when Preston graduated its pioneer class of students in 1997, Azeez was, in his own words in the Agenda Daily interview, busy trying to salvage his failing car business.
Does all this gel with his explanations given in the two interviews?
What is fucking going on here?
Google "Preston University" + "diploma mill", and it gets even better.
In a nutshell, and in all probability, Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, recently appointed head of Putera Umno and - this just gets to me - executive chairman of Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia - is a fake, just like his degree.
Surprised? You shouldn't be.
This is Umno we're talking about here.
