Hajiji: It would be a lie if political parties don't accept donations

Summary:

• Hajiji Noor claims videos are part of a “well-orchestrated” campaign.

• The Sabah chief minister assures that GRS assemblypersons have never solicited bribes.

• Hajiji argues that relying on salaries alone is not sufficient.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor has addressed the alleged corruption scandal plaguing his administration, suggesting that the leaked videos could be pointing at political donations.

In a TikTok video, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairperson stressed that his assemblypersons have never solicited bribes.

“But it would be a lie to say that political parties and politicians do not accept political funding from donors.

“I conveyed this to the prime minister last week. Everyone understands that political funding is not wrong in this country or other countries.

“How can a political party function without financial contributions from those who can afford it? If we were to rely solely on the salaries of elected representatives, there wouldn’t even be enough to eat,” he said.

In the video, which is believed to be an excerpt from his speech at a Christmas event, Hajiji also claimed that the videos were part of a “well-orchestrated campaign” against his administration to spread lies and slander.

‘Whistleblower didn’t admit to graft’

Hajiji also revealed that he was “informed” that the whistleblower did not admit to giving the alleged bribes when MACC recorded his statement.

“Imagine, he was summoned but did not admit,” he added.

This prompted the whistleblower’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to question how the chief minister was aware of his client’s statement, which falls under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

“Who informed the chief minister that my client did not admit to giving bribes when questioned by MACC, especially when this information should be considered an official secret?

“To clarify, my client neither denied nor admitted anything. He responded in a neutral manner following my advice to avoid self-incrimination,” he told Malaysiakini.

READ MORE: Citing OSA, Shafee asks how CM knew of whistleblower's MACC statement

Shafee described the chief minister’s “confession” as an “abuse of power”, particularly in an investigation involving his administration.

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