Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen has slammed Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud for side-stepping numerous allegations of corruption and abuse of power hurled at him and his family, as has been widely reported in the news portals and blogs.

chong chieng jen interview 141108 03 “I think he owes the people of Sarawak an explanation how his children can have so much money to acquire so much property overseas.

“A sweeping statement like ‘they are good in business’ and ‘they have business acumen so they invest and have lots of money’ is not sufficient,” Chong ( left ) said when commenting on Taib’s denials in apologist blogs and websites.

He said Taib should disclose how much had been remitted from the country to buy parcels of land overseas, and at what prices.

“Taib must disclose his family lands and properties in Canada, USA, Australia and United Kingdom.

“He must list these properties out and at what prices these properties were bought. They must be sale and purchase agreement, memorandum of transfers on these properties and from where did the money to buy these properties come from, and there must be a trade record on the transfer of the properties,” he said.

Taib can prove innocence

He said Taib should disclose just how much his family had paid for an international hotel in Adelaide, so the people could judge.

NONE “He should disclose the details of his family properties, their current prices and at the prices they bought these properties in his website for the people to read,” he said.

He said by making public these facts, Taib would be clearing his name over the allegations against him and his family members.

“By making such a sweeping statement that his children are good in business is not enough, given his position as chief minister for 30 years in Sarawak.

“The people, not himself, have the right to know of his and his family properties. He has a duty to disclose all the transactions.

“All records of transactions must be put in his websites, whether the money came from Sarawak or from somewhere else,” he said.

In the CM’s official website www.chiefministertaib.sarawak.gov.my , Taib admitted that he and his family were doing well, but that their wealth was created through normal business which had nothing to do with exploitation or illegal acquisitions from Sarawak.

Mindful of conflicts?

Taib had also claimed that he was forced to do business abroad for over 30 years to avoid the spectre of “conflict of interest”.

muhammad muhd taib blog website 210408 “Of course, if you’ve got talent and some money, you can really build a good business outside the country. And you don’t have to be corrupt. Entrepreneurship has its own rewards,” he was quoted as saying.

In a web video entitled ‘Chief Minister Taib of Sarawak - Financial Transparency in Sarawak’, Taib also denied allegations by certain quarters that those who have been supporting his political party, PBB, had been rewarded with businesses.

He admitted that some members of the party had been very successful in business and had created two or three public listed companies.