Sabah PAS leader raises evils of graft, cites state's underdevelopment

Summary

• Sabah PAS secretary Aliakbar Gulasan recalls his previous speech about divine retribution for graft.

• He warns that corruption can undermine the human value system at every level.

Sabah PAS secretary Dr Aliakbar Gulasan has cited the evils of corruption and wondered if it is linked to the state’s underdevelopment.

“The Sabah corruption issue has become common knowledge,” he told the state assembly yesterday.

Aliakbar (above), who is an appointed assemblyperson in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government, recalled his previous speech in the house, which touched on divine retribution for those involved in corruption.

“We don’t have concrete data on whether corruption is the reason we (Sabah) are ‘mundur’ (lagging),” he said in reference to the state where hardcore poverty is six times the national rate.

“However, we are certain that corruption is a major issue that can lead to significant shortcomings and undermine the human value system at every level,” he added.

Therefore, Aliakbar advised all quarters, be it politicians, civil servants or the public at large, to refrain from corrupt practices.

The PAS leader said he is confident that in the absence of corruption, the “development after this and our journey after this would be swift and smooth”.

Execute graft offenders

Earlier, Malaysiakini reported a Warisan assemblyperson telling the house that Malaysia should look at emulating countries which execute graft offenders.

Warisan politician Jamil Hamzah proposed this amid an ongoing corruption scandal involving the GRS administration.

“Perhaps we can learn from countries that have successfully tackled corruption. One example is China, where those involved in corruption are tembak mati (shot dead),” Jamil said during a session at the state assembly yesterday.

“Everyone fears death. I believe all of us in this house share that fear. Who is not afraid of death?” added the Bugaya assemblyperson.

Since November last year, a businessperson has released a series of videos and screenshots of WhatsApp conversations implicating eight GRS assemblypersons, as well as the state legislative assembly speaker, Kadzim Yahya.

The businessperson, who claims to possess additional videos, alleged that he bribed the politicians in exchange for mineral exploration licences.

Chief Minister Hajiji Noor has accused the individual of colluding with certain parties to discredit his administration ahead of the upcoming state election.

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