A leading Sarawak opposition figure has asked long-serving Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to clarify the report contained in the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia alleging that he and his family have amassed wealth during his 27-year tenure.

upm student memo to mp 051207 chong chieng jen Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Kota Sentosa) made the call in connection with Malaysia's deteriorating position in Transparency International's corruption index during the debate in the state legislative assembly on the motion of thanks to the head of state on Wednesday.

He had drawn the 71-member assembly's attention to the contents in Wikipedia about Abdul Taib Mahmud and the impression it had created in the cyberworld on the state and Malaysia, in particular on the chief minister.

But assembly speaker Asfia Awang Nassar immediately stopped Chong, who is also the Bandar Kuching member of Parliament, from going on “without any good reason”, the opposition elected representative said.

What he had discovered in Wikipedia when typing the name 'Abdul Taib Mahmud' was shocking, Chong said. “I believe the matter ought to be brought up in the state assembly as to whether the contents in Wikipedia about the chief minister are true or false.”

Too protective of Taib

Chong said the chief minister should come to the House to answer because he is the head of government in Sarawak.

But, unfortunately, the speaker was "too sensitive and too protective" of any matter involving the chief minister as if in the state assembly only "songs of praises of the chief minister are allowed and any criticisms disallowed".

taib mahmud and sulaiman taib The latest incident of this nature also took place today in the assembly when during a supplementary question, Chong wanted to know from Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu who answered the original question whether 'father and son' - referring to Taib and his son Sulaiman - would be in the next state cabinet reshuffle.

Sulaiman is the newly-elected member of parliament for Samarahan, taking over the seat from his father, and has been appointed deputy tourism minister at the federal level. He is regarded as a potential chief minister.

When Chong raised the question "as a matter of curiosity" after his colleague Voon Lee Shan (DAP-Batu Lintang) asked the question on the impending state cabinet reshuffle, there were boos from the BN benches.

Jabu described it as "a silly question" and this drew laughter from BN members.

Chong later told Malaysiakini that there was a possibility of a state by-election being held to accommodate Sulaiman so he could be brought into the state cabinet.

He said BN members in the House, including the speaker, should not have an ‘ostrich mentality’' in that “by shutting me out or stopping me from raising the matter contained in Wikipedia, the issue could be hushed up but the whole world can see it.'

SPECIAL REPORT: Tip of the iceberg