Sabah Umno, Bersatu Youth, Warisan pan CM for anti-graft rhetoric

Summary

• Sabah Bersatu Youth chief Hisyam Hazaril questions Hajiji Noor’s commitment to fight corruption in the state, urging CM to act instead of chanting rhetorical slogans.

• Sabah Umno strategic communications chief Rosman Ahir Zaman says Sabahans deserve full transparency on all investigations involving integrity cases in the state.

• UPDATED 2.30PM | Warisan rep Calvin Chong calls news report lauding Hajiji ‘the biggest joke of the year.’

Leaders from Sabah Umno and Bersatu Youth have taken Chief Minister Hajiji Noor to task over his alleged inaction against corruption in the state.

In separate statements, they said Hajiji (above) should prove his commitment to fighting corruption through strong action instead of repeating rhetoric during ceramah and news conferences.

Sabah Bersatu Youth chief Hisyam Hazaril pointed to an Utusan Malaysia article singing praises on Hajiji’s stance against bribery.

Hisyam noted that while they supported the chief minister’s commitment to stamp out corruption, he questioned the value of such a promise if it is only being used as a speech point “without any real action”.

“The chief minister should support the people’s call by taking strong action against individuals who have smeared the image of Sabah.

“This situation is like the Malay proverb ‘indah khabar dari rupa’ (all that glitters is not gold), where we can hear anti-corruption slogans being chanted loudly, but there is no real action,” he said in his statement today.

The news article that Hisyam referred to was published on Saturday, titled “Hajiji tegas banteras rasuah, fokus pembangunan rakyat” (Hajiji firm on curbing corruption, focusing on people’s development).

It cited the Sabah chief minister saying his administration emphasises the principles of integrity, accountability and transparency, while several other individuals, including an academic, commended Hajiji.

Take bold action

Hisyam reminded the chief minister that “action speaks louder than words”.

He said Sabahans want to see Hajiji and his administration take bold action by investigating and punishing those who have betrayed their trust.

“If you really want to uphold integrity, then you must drop those who have smeared this state’s good name. This cannot wait.

“Do not only be good at speaking, but freeze up when real action is needed. The rakyat has become wiser now, they can differentiate real leaders from those who are only acting on the political stage.”

‘Walk the talk’

In a similar tone, Sabah Umno strategic communications chief Rosman Ahir Zaman urged the chief minister to walk the talk.

“So far, we have not seen any large-scale initiative or strong action that can prove that Hajiji’s administration is serious in combating corruption problems in the state government.

“The absence of transparent reports, disciplinary actions or high-profile investigations has raised doubts whether anti-corruption efforts are really important in Sabah or merely a rhetoric,” he said.

Rosman stressed that Sabahans have the right to demand full transparency in all investigations involving integrity issues, without any cover-up.

‘Biggest joke of the year’

Warisan also reacted to the news report lauding Hajiji, with Elopura assemblyperson Calvin Chong calling it "the biggest joke" of the year.

He pointed to a photo used in the Utusan article, which showed Hajiji standing on stage with three others - the Sabah Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Arifin Arif; state assembly speaker Kadzim Yahya, and federal Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Minister Armizan Ali.

"Arifin and Kadzim are among those who were exposed in videos related to a corruption scandal linked to mineral mining licences, which has been a hot topic in Malaysia, especially Sabah.

"The other person in the photo was Armizan, who had (allegedly) violated the Federal Constitution and the Code of Ethics for Administration Members.

"Thus, Hajiji has no credibility whatsoever to speak about the anti-corruption agenda because they are all being investigated by the MACC over alleged corruption," Chong said in a statement.

The Warisan leader also likened the chief minister to a Malay proverb, "seperti ketam mengajar anaknya berjalan betul", which is similar to the saying, like the blind leading the blind.

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