I strongly urge the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC) to prioritise the urgency of opening an investigation into the alleged corruption, abuse of power, money laundering and unexplained wealth accumulated by Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud, the current Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak.
In view of the recent comment by our Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad that action has not been taken against Taib Mahmud as no formal complaint has been lodged, I encourage all parties that has lodge these multiple complaints against the alleged abuse and corruption of Taib Mahmud to come forward and make sure such reports goes up to the relevant authorities so adequate action can be taken.
This either shows that maybe all those reports made especially to MACC and other authorities in Sarawak all over the years either has not gone up to Putrajaya for further action, or there was little will to initiate such investigation due to different multiple reasons.
Fact of the matter is, there have been multiple reports to the MACC as well as the police by both the opposition as well as civil society groups on the alleged abuse and corruption linked to Tun Pehin Taib Mahmud and his family with international reports even providing different expose of the scandals linked to him and the family including the Bruno Manser Fund(BMF) and Sarawak Report which helped broke the 1MDB story.
Both of groups such as the BMF has even offered to share their seven-year evidence-gathering and cooperate in the investigation of corrupt practices by Sarawak’s former Chief Minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud especially with regards to alleged allocation of State land to the Taib family and unexplained wealth overseas.
In my parliamentary questions that have been submitted today, I did urge the MACC, which is currently still under the Prime Minister Department to state their intention and progress in initiating an investigation into the alleged corruption of Taib and I will follow up and push for greater urgency to clean up corrupt leaders and practices from the State regardless of position or power.
Since the change of government after the May 9th, they have been a greater urgency to address the cancer of corruption in our country including the investigation into the scandal-ridden 1MDB fund. I thus urge for such urgency to also be shown towards the alleged corrupt leaders here in Sarawak who has robbed and stolen for the riches and resources of our State.
I am happy that Dr Mahathir has shown willingness to look into Taib’s corruption again and urge for all the different reports that has already been made by different groups to be taken seriously by the MACC and initiate a formal and fair investigation into the matter.