Mapping out the deep state
How the deep state operates and nexus between the actors
Murray Hunter
The major objective of the ‘so called deep state’ is to seek, secure, and exploit rent-seeking opportunities, engineered by the players within the ‘political-institutional environment’. These ‘engineered opportunities’ are created through legal monopolies, favouring certain parties, while keeping procurement opaque. Parties within the system protects the players from facing investigation and prosecution, over any charges of abuse of power.
The ’so called deep state’ refers to an ad hoc and liquid set of institutions, agencies, crony corporations, and individuals, who are able to act ultra vires to the legal system with almost absolute impunity. ‘Engineered opportunities’ are legal or illegal activities that are able make profits. The ‘political-institutional environment’ relates to the cast of entities that enable the facilitation of profit-centred activities (see figure 1.).
Major institutions and players
The deep state can be metaphorically described as a moving kaleidoscope of institutions, agencies, corporations, organized crime, cronies, and facilitators that undertake activities aimed towards making profits within the ‘political-institutional environment’.
There is no central leader, no ‘big picture’ objective, other than the pursuit of profits, at many levels.
The players are described below:
Prime ministers, key ministers, and the executive
The key element of the ‘so called’ deep state is the prime minister. The power of others greatly depends upon how the prime minister exerts his own power.
Mahathir was a very powerful prime minister. He pushed the Royal households into a defence position. He had loyalty from the Special Branch. He invented crony capitalism, alongside his deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. He set up a conglomerate of UMNO companies, run by proxies to fund the party.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi left much of his power in the hands of a group called “the fourth floor boys”, led by his son in law Khairy Jamaluddin. Najib Razak set up a sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, which resulted in a massive financial scandal, which put Najib behind bars. Najib enhanced the Malaysian External Intelligence Organization (MEIO) to rival Special Branch, which he didn’t trust.
Both Najib and Badawi’s administration before him, outsourced much government work to consultants to redistribute income towards crony businesses. The balance of power greatly differed between each administration. A vibrant company consulting for the federal or state government, could go bankrupt, after a change of administration, when incoming prime ministers and chief ministers channelled government business to other firms.
The various ministries are best seen as small empires, where ministers and their political staff have influence over the spending of budget allocations, and contracts. The home minister is a very vital, as both the police and attorney general are placed under the home ministry.
Political Benefactors
The recently convicted John Soh Chee Wen in Singapore over the Penny stock crash, had been assisting politicians since the early 1990s. Soh helped finance and facilitate with the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) until the late 1990s. Soh switched his support to Anwar Ibrahim, after becoming good friends in the late 1990s, supporting Anwar during the early ‘Reformasi’ period. It is believed he supported the growth of Parti Keadilan Rakyat during the developing years and even purchased the PKR headquarters building in Petaling Jaya for the party.
Perhaps Malaysia’s most infamous benefactors was Koo Tam Yam, one of the four major gangland leaders, nicknamed the ‘Heavenly kings’. Koo is believed to have abandoned his underworld activities and invested in a firm, Caerly Holdings Bhd. Koo is believed to have funded Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and now Anwar Ibrahim. Koo held a large free diner for Anwar in 2018, when he was running for the seat of Port Dickson.
