MCA Youth to 'passive' MACC: Sabah may be seen as 'den of thieves'

Summary

• MCA Youth leader Saw Yee Fung insists that failure to investigate the Sabah corruption scandal will damage public trust in the state assembly.

• She also raises concerns that the MACC probe could be used as a political tool with the Sabah election approaching.

An MCA Youth leader has echoed calls for an urgent probe into the Sabah corruption scandal or risk losing the people’s trust in the state government.

MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung said that as the graft case implicated numerous Sabah assemblypersons, the legislative assembly might be seen as a “den of thieves”.

“The collective involvement of Sabah assemblypersons in corruption is a grave matter.

“As the highest legislative body in the state, numerous assemblypersons have been accused of engaging in corruption, covering for each other for mutual gain.

“If this case is not thoroughly investigated, the public will view the state assembly as a den of thieves, whereby trust in the system will erode,” Saw said in a statement today.

She also chided the MACC for taking a “passive stance” by saying the edited videos could not be used in its investigation.

Following this, Lawyers for Liberty submitted the full, unedited videos to the MACC.

“Finally, there can be no more excuses for the MACC to not investigate the case,” former MACC chief and LFL co-founder Latheefa Koya said in a press conference yesterday.

A whistleblower released the videos to Malaysiakini late last year, which implicated multiple Sabah assemblypersons who allegedly took bribes from him.

MACC as bargaining tool

With the Sabah polls due this year, Saw questioned if the MACC probe would be used as a political bargaining tool.

“With multiple Sabah assemblypersons allegedly involved collectively in corruption, will those in power protect each other, allowing wrongdoers to escape justice?”

She noted that since the government frequently announces its intention to eradicate graft, it should not stop at rhetoric but take real action to punish the corrupt, regardless of political affiliation.

Selective enforcement and a failure to act will further undermine public trust and turn the MACC into a tool for political agendas, she added.

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