Malaysia’s Daim Zainuddin: From power broker and tycoon to cross-border controversy

DAIM Zainuddin, Malaysia’s influential two-time finance minister, has passed away at 86. His big business manoeuvres and economic policies from the 1980s to early 2000s marked a career that was anything but ordinary.

Under Mahathir Mohamad’s reign as prime minister, Daim played a key role in reshaping Malaysia’s corporate and financial landscape, championing privatisation and liberalisation.

Known for his discreet, behind-the-scenes influence, he also shrewdly navigated the country’s complex political terrain to wield significant power in both business and government.