Politicians from both sides ring fence 'precious' Sabah, says Zaid

With Sabah and Sarawak serving as potential tiebreakers in the political numbers game, former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said it appears that both sides of the divide are not prepared to rock the boat across the South China Sea.

“Look at how politicians from the Peninsula ring-fence the Sabah government from allegations of massive corruption.

“The federal government agencies and opposition leaders are bending backwards to support the present Sabah leaders,” he said on X this evening.

On a sarcastic note, Zaid, who compared the situation to South Korea, said politicians in Malaysia are fortunate.

“They know when to preserve good assets, close ranks, and protect one another in difficult times, regardless of which parties, compared with their counterparts in South Korea. 

“There is so much we can teach the world,” he added in the post titled “Sabah is precious”.

M’sian politicians stick together

Zaid was responding to the alleged corruption scandal which has rocked Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government following the disclosure of several videos.

Turning to South Korea, he noted how its ninth president Roh Moo Hyun was good.

“During his tenure, the economy was booming, and democracy flourished. After retirement, he returned to his village to rear ducks.

“But his political opponents would not let him rest in peace. He was accused of abuse of power and corruption.

“Roh, the kind-hearted man, could not take much more. He took his life as he felt aggrieved by the pain caused to his loved ones. Korean politics are brutal. More than half of the living past presidents are in jail. Park Chung Hee was assassinated, and Chun Doi Hwan was sentenced to life imprisonment,” he added.

However, Zaid pointed out that things are different in Malaysia.

“Except for (former premier) Najib Abdul Razak, the top leaders usually do not show much hatred against one another, except for verbal abuse and political posturing. 

“They show solidarity with one another,” he added.

In 2020, GRS threw its weight behind Perikatan Nasional president Muhyiddin Yassin who became prime minister for 17 months following a political coup in 2020.

After the last general election, which ended in a political deadlock, GRS backed Anwar Ibrahim to become the prime minister.

At the time, Hajiji said the decision was to ensure political stability and safeguard the interest of Sabahans.

Umno the main beneficiary

In one of the videos exposed by the whistleblower, Kemabong assemblyperson Rubin Balang, whose son Riduan won the Tenom parliamentary seat in the last election, revealed that he had been a long-time supporter of Muhyiddin.

Recalling what transpired after the 2022 general election when Anwar and Muhyiddin were jostling for the post, he said; “We signed asking to give it (the prime minister post) to Muhyiddin, but nothing was given in return. We signed (for) him. Signed to give him support.”

“… Muhyiddin did not become PM, then we went (shifted our support) for PMX (Anwar),” he added.

Yesterday, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin cast aspersions on the whistleblower’s motive for seeking protection and immunity under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 but did not mention the contents of the videos.

Pakatan Harapan leaders have also been silent on the matter while Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin, who perhaps stands to gain the most if the Hajiji government falls, is the sole person who appeared to deviate from the script when he called on the authorities to probe both the giver and recipients of the alleged bribes.

However, Bung and Sabah Umno have denied any involvement in the matter.

• Ex-CEO claims he has proof against CM, denies collusion allegation

• MACC gets report against whistleblower, five reps summoned

• MCMC requests Mkini to remove 'RM70m' Sabah video, report

• Police asked MCMC to issue takedown order to Mkini, not me - Fahmi

• Graft exposés: Sabah MP echoes Bung's call for thorough probe

Ex-CEO claims he has proof against CM, denies collusion allegation

MACC gets report against whistleblower, five reps summoned

Graft exposés: Sabah MP echoes Bung's call for thorough probe

MCMC requests Mkini to remove 'RM70m' Sabah video, report

Tempasuk rep claims whistleblower 'maliciously edited' conversation

Whistleblower appears to have ulterior motives - Hamzah