Despite the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) denying that Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam is being investigated, political sources are claiming otherwise.

ALI RUSTAM According to the sources, the veteran politician who was found guilty of money politics by the Umno disciplinary board, is being probed by the commission.

Apart from the money politics allegation, Mohd Ali has also been accused of awarding projects to his cronies.

It is learnt that opposition members from DAP and PKR have lodged reports concerning this with the MACC.

The political sources also claimed that MACC officers had recently raided the chief minister’s office and the state Public Works Department along with several state government linked corporations to gather evidence.

This morning, speculation was rife that the opposition would be mounting a protest outside the state secretariat building in conjunction with this session’s first state assembly sitting.

It was said that the protest was aimed at urging Mohd Ali, who has been chief minister since 1999, to step down.

Since yesterday, SMS messages had been making the rounds, among others, calling on Mohd Ali’s Bukit Katil Umno division members to gather at the state secretariat to thwart the protest.

The police had also set up roadblocks and a Federal Reserve Unit squad was deployed. However, no protest took place.

Jostling for CM post?

shamsul iskandar mohd akin pkr youth Contacted later, PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said he heard some party divisions in Malacca calling for the protest but this did not transpire.

Apart from this, the opposition leader also claimed that the chief minister’s office was raided by the MACC officers.

PKR had also lodged a report with the MACC after the Umno disciplinary board found Mohd Ali guilty of money politics and barred him from contesting for deputy presidency in the party polls last month.

Despite being barred, Mohd Ali received a standing ovation and thunderous applause from delegates when he spoke at the Umno assembly where he pledged to continue serving the party.

Following the disciplinary board's decision, speculations were rife that the MACC had also initiated a probe.

Despite this, the MACC director of investigations Sukri Abdull when contacted by Malaysiakini today denied any knowledge of any investigations pertaining to the chief minister.

It is also learnt that following the Umno disciplinary committee's decision, some Barisan Nasional elected reps in Malacca Umno are jostling for the chief minister's post.

The political imbroglio in the state is expected to pile additional pressure on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak who is also faced with a power struggle in Terengganu.