Anwar's claim of 'Zionist plot' condemned as 'outright lie', amid questions over PKR's 2016 Washington project

The widow of Daim Zainuddin has slammed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's latest claim that "Zionists" and "bankers" were involved in a public relations plan assigned to a UK-based firm, a day after a revelation that PKR leaders had discussed with a US consultant how to get the White House to pressure the Malaysian government 10 years ago.

"Anwar’s statements are false, preposterous, outrageous, and a blatant attempt to mislead Parliament and the public," said a statement issued on behalf of Na'imah Abdul Khalid by her lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh.

Anwar, who was asked in Parliament about MalaysiaNow's report yesterday that he and senior PKR leaders had engaged a foreign consultant in 2016 to lobby the White House to exert pressure on then prime minister Najib Razak, claimed international media, bankers and Zionists were involved in a plot to sabotage the country as part of a communications plan prepared for Daim's family.

"Prominent Zionist groups are being used in this project," said Anwar. "Are we going to choose to defend them?"

Na'imah's lawyers dismissed the claim.

"There is not one word about Zionism or Israel or anything related to it in the entire communications plan. It is purely a business and PR plan. Neither is there anything on toppling or even undermining the Malaysian government."

They said the PR plan was to reassure bankers for Daim's family of their financial viability.

"This is clear from the actual words of the document itself which says, 'Write to bankers setting out that international assets are not frozen and that this is a domestic legal dispute which we are confident will be resolved as there is no case to answer'," they added.

Anwar's claim of a Zionist plot comes two years after protests over his decision to bring in a company accused of complicity with Israel's genocide in Gaza to run Malaysian airports.

Last year, he danced alongside Donald Trump, two weeks after the US president's visit to Israel to pledge full support to Benjamin Netanyahu.

Anwar is currently the subject of more than 300 police reports accusing him of sabotaging national interests by signing a controversial trade agreement with Trump.

Also read:
Revealed: How Anwar’s PKR engaged foreign consultants to build US pressure on Najib

The following is the full statement issued by Na'imah's lawyers:

1.⁠ ⁠We refer to the statements made in Parliament today by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in which he alleged Daim Zainuddin’s widow Na'imah Khalid was trying “topple the government” through a public relations plan with a UK PR firm. 

In supporting his claim, Anwar alleged that “bankers” are involved in the plan purportedly to threaten the country’s economy and that “Zionists” are also involved. 

2.⁠ ⁠Anwar’s statements are false, preposterous, outrageous, and a blatant attempt to mislead Parliament and the public. There is nothing like this, as alleged by Anwar, contained in the Daim family’s PR communications plan dated August 2025.

3.⁠ ⁠Firstly the claim by Anwar that the PR plan calls for “bankers” to threaten our economy is an outright lie. The PR plan is in fact to reassure the Daim family’s bankers of their financial viability. This is clear from the actual words of the document itself which says, “Write to bankers setting out that international assets are not frozen and that this is a domestic legal dispute which we are confident will be resolved as there is no case to answer”.

4.⁠ ⁠The PR plan further says, “Deliver business partner reassurance – including writing to bankers.” In short, the PR plan intends to reassure the bankers that the ongoing MACC case against Na'imah Khalid has not affected her creditworthiness. I must emphasise here the preceding two excerpts are the only references to “bankers” in the entire communications plan.

5.⁠ ⁠Anwar’s claim that Zionists are involved is even more ridiculous. There is not one word about Zionism or Israel or anything related to it in the entire communications plan. It is purely a business and PR plan. Neither is there anything on toppling or even undermining the Malaysian government. 

6.⁠ ⁠Therefore Anwar, by making these false claims about the communication plans has deliberately misled Parliament and the Malaysian public. Should Anwar repeat this slanderous allegations outside Parliament, where he does not enjoy parliamentary immunity, my client will certainly sue him. 

7.⁠ ⁠Meanwhile, in the interest of the integrity of the parliamentary institution, appropriate action must be taken by the Dewan Rakyat against the Prime Minister for wilfully and maliciously misleading Parliament. That he is a sitting prime minister, makes his actions only worse.

8.⁠ ⁠These allegations against Na'imah are made worse by the blatant double standards exercised by Anwar. Anwar himself has been shown to have employed a US firm to exert pressure on then-prime minister Najib Razak a decade ago. Will there be an investigation into this? Is PKR’s outrage selective? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.