LETTER | During the height of the mining scandal implicating several top senior Sabah government officials and several assemblypersons of allegedly accepting bribes from a businessperson in exchange for his prospecting licenses to be approved, the MACC started with a roadblock in their investigation.

The businessperson turned whistleblower, and his lawyer Shafee Abdullah attempted to strike a deal with the MACC. In exchange for eight unedited videos, the whistleblower shall receive protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2010. The MACC, rejected this offer, citing that it wasn’t a part of their procedures to do so.

Months later, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the videos “lacked credibility” and would be inadmissible in court, weeks after he released a statement claiming that the MACC had completed its investigation into the scandal and had passed over all relevant materials to the deputy public prosecutor.

Now we question whether a thorough investigation had even been carried out. Aside from recording statements, and reviewing the videos published by Malaysiakini, what else did the MACC do?

Sabahans have shed their doubts over the current state government’s innocence, through both social media and demonstrations. However, doubts over Azam, with 36 years of experience in the field, and as the sixth MACC chief commissioner, is not unheard of as well. Just shy of two years serving as the MACC chief commissioner, Azam received his first taste of “public justice”.

In late 2021, Azam was accused of owning a large number of shares in two publicly listed companies; Gets Global Berhad and Exel Force MSC Berhad. He would later portion the blame on his brother, Nasir, who he alleged used his trading account to purchase the shares. On Jan 20, 2022, over 50 PKR Youth members marched towards the Parliament with one sole goal: To get Azam to resign as the MACC chief commissioner.

Anwar Ibrahim, months before becoming the 10th prime minister, accepted the memorandum, promising that the demands of the demonstrators would be brought to the attention of the then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Two days later, over 200 demonstrators from various civil societies under the banner of “Arrest Azam Baki” chanted throughout the streets of Kuala Lumpur demanding his arrest and resignation.

Today, he remains the chief commissioner, the head of the government agency established to quash corruption in our nation. Times have changed since then, and Anwar’s promises of reform have yet to materialise.

Anwar’s stance against corruption

Years ago, Anwar accepted the memorandum set out to expel Azam from his position of power. In 2023, Azam retains his position as the chief commissioner, with Anwar justifying his decision citing that the “MACC is an independent body”.

Last year, when asked about his stance against corruption, Anwar confidently said he would “go after them (corruptors) without mercy”. Retrospectively, Anwar demonstrated such prowess and a great commitment to eradicating corruption.

He was seen at the forefront of much-needed reform and change in Malaysia. Presently, Anwar’s promise of reform remains yet another promise. A man who had the popular support of Malaysian youth is now threatening the youth of Sabah.

As a youth organisation in Sabah, Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now has been advocating for a more reformed, and just Sabah since 2023. It has since grown to become one of the largest youth organisations in Sabah, which sends a loud and growing message to the current state government and the ones preceding them, that the youth of Sabah will no longer tolerate ineffective and corrupt government officials.

We’re living in a reality, where corruptors question the legitimacy of whistleblowers who dealt directly with them. That alone, says enough about the Sabah state government.

To be clear, Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now is an anti-partisan movement. It is not anti-government but rather it is anti-problems. If the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led government had overstepped their powers and abused them in any way shape or form, we would criticise and condemn those allegedly involved.

We voice out our frustration, not because we’re biased, but because it is the right thing to do. We urge every Sabahan to utilise their civic responsibility to do the same.

Sabah has ‘woken up’

Sabah is notoriously known for its corrupt ministers and government officials. In the land of police reports, any attempt to challenge the status quo is met with threats of litigation or arrest. It’s time for Sabahans, especially the youths, to trim the very weeds that have grown rapidly out of proportion, concealing the true spirit and beauty of our state.

One thing for certain is that Sabahans have “woken up” and have become increasingly more involved in our state’s affairs. The days of “forgiving and forgetting” will soon be a matter of the past, as a new generation of Sabahans come into prominence.

As a final message to Azam, speaking on behalf of Sabahan youth, your message will not be forgotten. It sent a clear and strong insulting message to hopeful Sabahans that the MACC is not doing its due diligence and carrying out its duties to hold those who are corrupt accountable.

With the Sabah state election looming around the corner, these investigations need to be swift and prompt. What will it take for actions to be taken? Another whistleblower? With how the MACC is treating whistleblowers, we suspect that those who are itching to talk are scared based of the MACC’s inaction to help those who speak out.

Sabah will not forget this, and we will exercise our rights protected under the Federal Constitution to ensure accountability and justice is handed out. We strongly oppose Azam’s statement and those who are involved in the slow death of our youth - corruptors.

DUNCAN CHENG is the president and founder of Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.