Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Governance Investigation Division (BPT) presented five recommendations for improvement to the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department (JTU) and Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM), both of which are directly involved in the process of applying for Prospecting Licences (PL) in Sabah.
The recommendations were made after BPT identified five weaknesses – one in JTU and four in SMM – following a governance investigation into the practices, systems and procedures related to the PL application process.
Among the weaknesses identified were the absence of a complete and clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for PL applications and the requirement for applicants to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) either to SMM or the Sabah Chief Minister’s Office prior to applying for the PL.
Other shortcomings included applications that did not meet the eligibility criteria during assessment by the Management Committee – Due Diligence Analysis (DDA MC) still being forwarded to the SMM Board of Directors’ Meeting, chaired by the Sabah Chief Minister, as well as the absence of a specific SOP for the PL renewal process.
During the presentation session held at Wisma Tanah dan Ukur here on Thursday, one of the five improvement recommendations was to develop and document a clear and detailed SOP for the implementation of the PL application process.
The four other recommendations included amending the existing SOP to stipulate that LOIs be submitted directly to SMM and updating the DDA SOP to include follow-up actions required for applications that are either rejected or need to be reprocessed.
Additionally, BPT proposed the introduction of a specific SOP for PL renewal applications and the establishment of an SMM online portal containing information on its background, functions, roles and PL application procedures.
This governance issue arose amid claims that the process of applying for and approving PLs in Sabah – managed by SMM and JTU – involved the discretionary powers of the Sabah Chief Minister, who also serves as Chairman of the SMM Board of Directors.
Meanwhile, during the presentation session, both agencies expressed their appreciation to BPT for its findings and recommendations for improvement.
Both parties also gave their commitment to implement the proposed measures through the Governance Improvement Report, which was signed by the JTU Director Datuk Sr Bernard Liew Chiu Min and SMM Chief Executive Officer Natasha Sim Nuo, witnessed by BPT Deputy Director Ahmad Shukri Mohamad Taib.
Also present were the Sabah Minister’s Integrity Advisor Awang Samsul Baharam Bungso, Sabah Natural Resources Office representative and senior management officials from JTU and SMM.