Mahathir was so disappointed with his cabinet for being inefficient and corrupt that he decided to call
on Goh Chok Tong and ask him how he managed to have such an efficient and incorruptible cabinet.
On hearing Mahathirs woes, PM Goh said, "Simple,
Mahathir, I choose able men for my cabinet." Mahathir asked, "Yes, but
how do you know that they are able?"
PM Goh replied, "Just ask them simple questions to
test their intelligence, don't need to be too difficult. Let me illustrate to
you." Just then, Tony Tan was walking by, PM Goh called out to him,
"Hey Tony, come over here." Tony obediently walked briskly over.
PM Goh asked, "Tell me, Tony, who is your fathers
son ?" Tony Tan immediately replied, "Me! Of course."
PM Goh turned to Mahathir and said, "See, all my
ministers can answer this question. Why don't you go back and try." Mahathir thank PM Goh and left.
Once he was back, he immediately summoned Anwar, his
deputy, and shot the question at him, "Tell me, Anwar, who is your father's
son ?" Anwar was shocked beyond words and did not know the answer. After a
while, he recovered and said, "Boss, let me find out and I'll tell you
tomorrow." Mahathir, a bit disappointed, agreed, hoping that Anwar will
give a good answer tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Anwar was panicking that his boss was
testing him. He tried desperately to find out the answer from his staff, but
none of them knew the answer. The next morning,
he decided to call Bill Clinton for help. Surely the most powerful person in the
world must know the answer.
When Bill picked up the phone, Anwar said, "Hello,
Bill, can I ask you a question?" Clinton, very busy, replied, "Alright, but it better be good !" Anwar quickly asked, "Tell me,
Bill, who is your father's son ?" Clinton was fuming, "Of course it's
me, you stupid !" and he slammed the phone down.
Satisfied that he's got the answer, he confidently
walked into Mahathir's office and said, "Boss, I've got the answer to your
question." Mahathir, happy that his deputy wasn't that dumb, said, "So
tell me quick, who is your fathers son, Anwar ?"
Anwar confidently replied, "It's BILL CLINTON !"
Mahathir slapped his own forehead in disgust and said, "No you stupid, it's TONY TAN !"