Sabah CM feigning 'ignorance' of graft scandal - Warisan rep

Summary

• Warisan assemblyperson Calvin Chong says despite viral videos showing alleged admissions of bribery, Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor has taken no action and has not addressed governance reforms, prompting public criticism and disappointment.

• With the speaker also implicated, it remains uncertain whether the upcoming Sabah assembly sitting will allow debate on the scandal, as public pressure mounts for transparency.

Elopura assemblyperson Calvin Chong has taken a swipe at Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor over failure to take action against nine Gabungan Rakyat Sabah assemblypersons implicated in the mining licence corruption scandal.

Chong (above) in a statement noted that MACC is awaiting the results of a forensic analysis on 10 videos recorded by a whistleblower who admitted to offering bribes in exchange for mining licence approvals.

“The people of Sabah believe that the MACC will soon announce the findings of the investigation and take further action against those implicated.

“Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, as chief minister, appears severely lacking in addressing this corruption crisis.

“He has taken no action against the nine YBs who were recorded on video admitting to receiving bribes amounting to hundreds of thousands of ringgit,” said Chong.

Hajiji has also been implicated in the corruption scandal.

Fit to hold office?

Chong said it has been six months since the corruption scandal came to light, but Hajiji has not raised any proposal to improve governance or uphold accountability in the management of mineral mining licences in Sabah.

“He has merely pretended to be ignorant in an attempt to avoid answering any questions regarding the ongoing corruption scandal.

“Is he truly fit to hold the office of chief minister? His actions have clearly shown a failure to carry out his responsibilities, and the people of Sabah are deeply disappointed with his shortcomings,” stressed Chong.

Ahead of the next Sabah state assembly sitting, Chong noted that speaker Kadzim Yahya was also previously implicated in the scandal.

“The question is, will he dare to allow a debate on an issue that directly implicates himself?” said Chong.

In March, Kadzim reaffirmed that he only borrowed RM50,000 and was unaware of the alleged RM350,000 referenced in the whistleblower’s video published by Malaysiakini.

In the video, the whistleblower detailed the alleged RM350,000 given to the speaker, specifying the locations and amounts involved in the exchanges.

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