Ex-MP zeroes in on Farhash as Rafizi's pack steps up criticism of Anwar

Controversial former PKR leader Farhash Wafa Salvador appears to be high on the list of grievances from former Pakatan Harapan leaders disenchanted with Anwar Ibrahim, after having rallied behind the prime minister for more than three years to fend off growing public criticism of his government's handling of the economy and promised reforms.

Former Subang MP Wong Chen is the latest to acknowledge criticism against the government levelled by rights activists and opposition politicians since Anwar came to power through a fragile power-sharing deal.

Wong Chen has appeared on a spree of interviews and speaking tours following his resignation as MP, less than three months after he discovered that the government blocked some RM1.6 million in funds allocated for his constituency.

His predicament is not dissimilar to what opposition MPs have been facing under Anwar's administration, with many of them being coaxed into signing a memorandum of understanding, and in some cases switching sides, in order to secure funding allocations for their constituencies.

Like other MPs who have since left Anwar's government, Wong Chen had not publicly spoken out against the move to block funding for MPs until now.

One exception is Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, who as far back as 2024 criticised Anwar's condition that opposition MPs sign an agreement with the government in exchange for development allocations for their constituencies.

Unlike Hassan, many in the current group led by former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli have also not spoken out against a series of clampdowns on the press and internet, the rise of crony capitalism that has put the spotlight on individuals such as Farhash, attempts to pass controversial bills and regressive constitutional amendments, as well as multiple scandals surrounding government leaders and agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), whose former chief Azam Baki has been mired in allegations of involvement in corporate mafia.

In a recent interview with business station BFM, Wong Chen claimed he has always been committed to ensuring the implementation of reforms, adding that his dissatisfaction with Anwar's leadership reached a peak when allegations of corporate mafia surfaced.

"The breaking point will be the Azam Baki and the corporate mafia allegations, and then the refusal of the government to do an RCI on it. I thought that was really it," he said, referring to an explosive revelation by Bloomberg that MACC and a group known as "corporate mafia" were involved in forced takeovers of business entities.

Speaking on another podcast channel that has been giving extensive publicity to Rafizi's newfound party Bersama, Wong Chen trained his guns on Farhash.

"The real problem really started when, you know, friends of the prime minister started to appear in news, becoming very rich overnight. That was one year and a half after the government (was formed). Early 2024, first quarter, second quarter of 2024," he told Hong Yau, a Chinese-language YouTube channel.

"You can read in the news, people linked to the prime minister, people like Farhash, who left the prime minister's side, now suddenly become a billionaire or multimillionaire. Multiple, multiple millionaire. And then all these talks about all these companies, you know, linked to this, linked to that."

Last night, at a Bersama event in Petaling Jaya, Wong Chen again narrowed down to Farhash as he lashed out at Anwar's recent peace offer to those who have left PKR.

"In the past three to five years, our party which started as a reforms party slowly changed to become a different story. The party of Farhash. The party that can no longer fight corruption. The party that doesn't dare to hold an RCI for Azam Baki and the corporate mafia. What kind of party is this?" said Wong Chen.

Back in 2019, as Anwar's former political secretary and Perak PKR chairman, Farhash made headlines over a police probe into an assault at a sports complex in Ampang on Aug 31, 2019. He was arrested after surrendering to the police.

He was also previously accused of assaulting Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, Anwar's former research assistant whose sexual assault suit against the prime minister is still pending trial.

Since his former boss became prime minister in November 2022, Farhash has been given top positions in numerous companies, among them retail chain outlet 7-Eleven which forms part of billionaire tycoon Vincent Tan's empire, a stockbrocking firm, and a fintech company. 

Business entities linked to him Farhash stretch across technology, finance and logistics, areas that align closely with the push for digital economy.

In 2024, he secured a substantial stake of 15.91% in HeiTech Padu Bhd, purchased through his company Rosetta Partners Sdn Bhd.

HeiTech Padu was one of three companies shortlisted by the government to develop the RM1 billion National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) project, a replacement for the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs).

The purchase in HeiTech Padu came just a day after MyEG Services Bhd acquired a 14.4% equity interest in the company for RM31.25 million cash on March 11, 2024. That same day, HeiTech Padu announced it had received a one-year extension of its contract to maintain MyIMMs worth over RM13 million.

Farhash in response said Rosetta Partners is a subsidiary of Mfivesouthsea Sdn Bhd, which he jointly owns with Kelantan's Sultan Muhammad V.

The share acquisitions by Farhash sparked calls for an investigation. into political connections, government contracts and cronyism.

Five months later, in September 2024, Bloomberg reported that Anwar had directed then MACC chief Azam not to investigate Farhash over the controversial share purchases.

Early last year, he was appointed executive chairman of Key Alliance Group Bhd, a cloud and data-centre solutions company. 

By April 2025, filings showed he had become a substantial shareholder with a 5.55% stake.