Malaysia is now regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy” which I had defined in Parliament as a country ruled by PPP – Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun.
What is equally shocking is that Sabah has also become kleptocracy.
Recently, a joke about Trump and corruption in Malaysia was making the rounds, viz:
Donald Trump wants the white house painted!
Chinese guy quoted 3 million
European guy quoted 7 million
Malaysian guy quoted 10 million.Trump asked Chinese guy how did you quote?
He said:
1 million for paint
1 million for labour
1 million profit.He asked European?
He said :
3 million for paint
2 million for labour
2 million profit.He asked Malaysian?
Malaysian said:
4 million for me
3 million for you
3 million will give it to the Chinese guy to paint.
“4 million for me, 3 million for you” out of a 10 million would put the corruption at 70% of the paint-job, which is phenomenally high.
This is nothing unusual for Sabah, as illustrated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raid in Sabah in October, when the country was convulsed by revelations of the rampant corruption in the Sabah Water Department, with the MACC assertion that 60 per cent of the RM3.3 billion earmarked by the federal government to improve water supply to residents, including those in remote areas in the Sabah State, had been “siphoned off” by corruption.
The Director and Deputy Director of the Sabah State Water Department were arrested on Oct. 4 by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), together with the confiscation of RM114 million worth of assets and RM53.7 million in “cold cash”, while further investigation revealed a money trail leading to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
After close to three months, three persons were finally charged in court with the Sabah Water Department corruption mega-scandal – former Sabah Water Department director, his wife and a Sabah Finance Ministry technical and engineering advisor who pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Kota Kinablu today to a total of 37 counts of misappropriating infrastructure funds, involving RM61.48 million in cash and bank savings, as well as unlawful possession of luxury products.
This is “chicken feed” when the Sabah Water Department corruption is supposed to be a RM2 billion scandal – as the MACC has said that 60 per cent of the RM3.3 billion waterworks projects had been “siphoned off” by corruption.
During the MACC crackdown of the Sabah Water Department starting in early October, 28 people, including the department’s director and two of his deputies, were detained during the Ops Water operation.
Also apprehended were 23 divisional and district engineers and two other individuals who were allegedly involved in the case.
MACC had also recorded statements from 200 witnesses during the investigations.
MACC’s deputy commissioner of operations, Datuk Azam Baki Azam has been reported as saying that MACC had seized or frozen properties amounting to RM114.5 million, comprising cash, bank accounts, unit trusts and other assets within and outside of the country.
Azam said investigations involved 137 MACC officers from its headquarters as well as from various divisions and states.
It was reported that Water Department officials were alleged to have abused their power by awarding contracts to 38 companies owned by their families or cronies, to siphon federal funds.
Is the MACC’s charging of three persons, who were released on bail of RM10 million, RM2 million and RM1 million respectively, all that the MACC has to show for such a high-publicity anti-corruption operation?
Malaysians are not impressed at all by the MACC’s efforts in combating corruption in the Sabah Water Department.
Sabah is a wealthy state when Malaysia was formed in 1963, and Sabah will be rich and developed after 53 years in Malaysia if there is no corruption and the wealth of Sabah had been used for Sabahans and not hijacked by corrupt leaders and their cronies.
This is one of the central issues in Sabah and Malaysia in the 14th General Election which is expected to be held next year.
(Speech at the Christmas fellowship meeting organised by Pensiangan DAP Branch at Kampong Kilo Lanas in Sook, Sabah on Thursday, 29th December 2016 at 12 noon)