Is there a video of you, anxious Loke asks Sabah DAP chief

Following the release of several videos implicating Sabah politicians in a mining scandal, a concerned Anthony Loke asked his state chief Phoong Jin Zhe whether businessperson Albert Tei had a recording of him as well.

Speaking at a party fundraising event in Kota Kinabalu last night, the DAP secretary-general said the absence of such recordings proved that DAP could be trusted, stressing that its political culture was fundamentally different.

He also lauded Phoong as a young leader who is progressive, clean, and of integrity.

However, Loke (above) skirted around the issue of DAP and Pakatan Harapan’s alliance with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, more than a dozen of whose leaders have been implicated in the scandal.

“There are many scandals in Sabah recently, including politicians exposed by Malaysiakini, including state ministers, whose videos were recorded by someone.

“I was anxious when the news was published, so I immediately contacted Phoong Jin Zhe. I asked him, ‘Is there a video of you? Many have videos, do you?’ Jin Zhe replied, ‘I 100 percent don’t have, I was never in such discussions, I’ll never entertain these people.

‘That’s why Jin Zhe is different from others, even though he is a minister (state industrial development and entrepreneurship minister). We are different, Jin Zhe is different, DAP is different. We won’t take people’s trust for granted,” he added.

Corruption unforgivable

Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Harapan chairperson, made a pointed reference to corruption during his speech in Sabah.

Anwar said that while he could forgive insults, humiliation, and even imprisonment, he could not forgive the theft of public funds.

“I was arrested, I was beaten, I was tortured in prison. I forgive. I was shamed, stripped of dignity. I forgive.

“But if you steal the people’s money, if you take billions belonging to the people - I cannot forgive,” he declared in the presence of Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, whose GRS coalition is reeling from the scandal.

Anwar also noted that the MACC had acted on “fresh news” concerning Sabah leaders facing allegations.

While he did not name names, Anwar appeared to be alluding to Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I Jeffrey Kitingan, who was questioned by MACC over claims that he received RM1.78 million from Tei.

After Kitingan denied any involvement in the scandal, Tei responded by producing two documents to back his claim.

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