This was an old joke which appeared during the Mahathir/ Anwar era. It was one of those excellent jokes that made me laugh uncontrollably.
Mahathir was disappointed with his cabinet for being inefficient and corrupt, so he decided to visit Goh Chok Tong and ask him how he manage to have such a capable, efficient cabinet.
On hearing Mahathir's woes, PM Goh said,"Simple, Mahathir, I choose capable men for my cabinet. "
Mahathir asked,"Yes, but how do you know that they are capable?"
PM Goh replied,"Just ask them simple questions to test their intelligence, don't need to be too difficult. Let me show you what i mean." Just then, Tony Tan was walking by, PM Goh called out to him,"Hey Tony,come over here." Tony obediently walked over quickly. PM Goh asked,"Tell me, Tony, who is your father's 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 thanked PM Goh and left. When Mahathir got 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 him a good answer. 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 man in the world must know the answer. When Clinton picked up the phone, Anwar said, "Hello, Bill, can I ask you a question?" Clinton, very busy, replied,"Alright, but better be good!" Anwar quickly asked,"Tell me Bill, who is your father's son?" Cinton was fuming, "Me! Of course, you stupid!!!" and he slammed down the phone.
Satisfied that he 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 dumb, said,"So tell me quick, who is your father's son?" Anwar confidently replied,"it's BILL CLINTON!!" Mahathir slapped his own forehead in disgust and said,"No! You stupid!! It's TONY TAN!!!"
