Kota Kinabalu: Allegations involving Sabah leaders in senior government positions and mining licences are largely matters of perception, stressing that action will only be taken when there are substantive evidence or formal charges, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar clarified that while public perceptions of corruption can arise, they do not automatically translate into wrongdoing.
“Allegations and perceptions — I do not count those. Once you are in office and there is evidence and you are charged, that is where I draw the red line,” he said.
“But in this case, there is no clear-cut proof. We can’t just say there are videos of nine people being given money.
“There is no compelling evidence of money transfers. They charge; I draw the line.
“But this is perception. I can only act where the facts are clear and charges have been laid,” he said.
The scandal involving the approval of valuable prospecting licences for minerals in the state implicated about a dozen of Sabah’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) assemblymen, who were alleged to have received sums of money to help fast-track the approvals.
MACC said that the videos taken of conversations between the leaders and the businessman soliciting the licences were not credible proof.
Among those implicated in the scandal were three deputy chief ministers and the state finance minister.
Two assemblymen, Datuk Yusof Yacob and Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, were charged in court in June for receiving bribes of RM200,000 and RM350,000 respectively. The two were dropped from the candidate line-up for this election.
The businessman in question, Datuk Albert Tei, was also charged but denied giving money.
Anwar said he took the matter seriously when it came to light, and that investigations, including those conducted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), returned no conclusive findings on the others.
“I took this (those videos) very seriously. But when I see the content of the video and there was a saying that ‘I want to give you RM1 million, you can take next week’.
“That's not a case. You have to establish that the money was transferred. Once this established, they (MACC) will charge, I draw the line,” he said.
“Without conclusive evidence, anyone can accuse anyone,” he said.
“In fact, people have accused me, they said my good friend Farhash got 70,000 acres of land in Sabah approved.
“I immediately called Hajiji, I did not call Farhash, but he said no, there was no approval,” said Anwar, adding that subsequent investigations by MACC also did not find anything.
Anwar, who is in town to help campaign for the 17th state election, emphasised his commitment to transparency, saying he does not want any perception that he or his allies are enriching themselves.
“I have worked very hard, waited decades for this responsibility, and I have something to prove,” he said.
Anwar credited and commended Hajiji and GRS-led Sabah Government for not interfering in MACC’s work.
“Hajiji as the Chief Minister never tell us to go slow or don’t move (act). He (Hajiji) has never interfered, and thus MACC has full freedom and right to do their job.
“That is why I want to give my credit to Hajiji,” he said.
Anwar stressed that while public perception matters, governance must be grounded in due process, not political pressure or social media narratives.
“Otherwise, everybody can accuse everybody,” he said.
“We act when there is incontrovertible evidence. That is the principle.”