Sabah has always been described as a land of promise a place rich in minerals, forests, culture, and potential. But beneath that promise lies a deeper truth Malaysians rarely talk about openly: Sabah is also one of the most politically exploited states in the country. Everyone wants something from it businessmen, politicians, federal power brokers, state leaders, even middle‑men who operate quietly in the shadows.
And nothing proves this better than the scandal involving five people whose names now orbit the same controversy:
Their roles overlap like a tangled fishing net hard to pull apart, but once examined, you realise the whole thing was dragged through layers of greed and political dysfunction.
This is not just their story. This is Sabah’s story. This is the public’s story. This is a story about promises, power, profit and ultimately, betrayal.
Somewhere in Ranau, a child still walks kilometres to school. Somewhere in Kota Belud, a farmer still waits for a proper road. Somewhere in Semporna, a family still survives on RM800 a month.
And while the people wait, the powerful treat Sabah’s mineral riches like a private treasure chest negotiated in hotel rooms, traded through middle‑men, whispered through proxies.
If Sabah’s mineral wealth is truly the future, then why is every decision made in secret? Why are businessmen forced to negotiate with political brokers instead of transparent state policy? Why is a whistleblower jailed while the gatekeepers walk free?
This is not governance. This is piracy in neckties.
1. The Businessman Who Wanted to Build And the State Politics That Broke Him
Albert Tei came into Sabah not as a politician, not as a kingmaker, not as a fixer but as a businessman. He had a model, an investment path, and a clear economic motive.
His business needed approvals. His approvals needed signatures. And those signatures belonged to Sabah politicians.
This is how business works everywhere. But in Sabah, where mineral rights sit under the state government, you don’t just deal with officials. You deal with political culture one shaped by decades of competing coalitions, sudden power shifts, and fragile alliances.
Albert tried to follow the “unofficial process,” the one businessmen whisper about over coffee:
- A few contributions here.
- A few "facilitation" payments there.
- Help with this project.
- Support for that initiative.
Everyone knows this system exists. Nobody admits it.
And then the system cracked. The approvals didn’t move. The process broke halfway. The gatekeepers changed their tune.
And Albert became something he never planned to be: a whistleblower.
He recorded conversations. He kept proof. He documented under‑the‑table dynamics that politicians claim don’t exist.
But the moment he stepped into the light, the entire political machine turned against him.
2. The Federal Connection A Second Chance That Became a Second Trap
When Sabah failed him, Albert did what many have done before: he escalated to federal power.
That’s where Shamsul Iskandar, then the political secretary to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, entered the picture. Shamsul wasn’t just another politician he was a man sitting close to Putrajaya’s central decision‑making room.
If Sabah was Gate 1, Shamsul looked like the key to Gate 2.
Albert believed federal influence could fix what state politics had broken. But instead of transparency, he found himself again navigating a familiar pattern:
- Money moved.
- Promises made.
- Connections invoked.
- Approvals “in progress.”
Yet once again, halfway through, the whole thing broke down.
And this time, Albert had more than frustration. He had evidence. He had receipts. He had recordings.
And then came a bombshell.
3. Sofia Rini Buyong The Six-Minute Video That Connected the Dots
A clip surfaced. A woman identified as Sofia Rini Buyong, allegedly Shamsul’s proxy, claimed on video that:
- the videos released by Albert originated from Shamsul,
- the plan had political blessing,
- the target was Sabah politicians linked to mineral licences.
This was the missing piece. This was the link between state and federal operations. This was the moment the five-player map became clear.
But instead of a transparent investigation that Malaysia deserves, everything went sideways:
- One politician denied it.
- Another dismissed the video as fake.
- Sofia back‑tracked.
- Federal leaders downplayed it.
- Shamsul resigned.
But resignations aren’t truth. They are tactics and Shamsul’s sudden resignation proved it. The public had been waiting, demanding, and shouting for the Education Minister to resign over poor handling of the school system, yet out of nowhere it was Shamsul who bolted first. A whiplash move. A distraction. A classic political sidestep to jerk public attention away from real accountability.
And while Sofia’s confession made perfect sense in context, the political narrative quickly shifted away from her… and towards Albert even though Shamsul’s resignation came just as the issue was only beginning to unravel.
4. Hajiji Noor The Chief Minister at the Centre of Sabah’s Mineral Storm
To understand this scandal, you must understand one thing clearly: all mineral‑related approvals in Sabah fall under the state government, and that makes the Chief Minister Hajiji Noor an unavoidable figure in any investigation or controversy involving licences, prospecting rights, or political negotiations tied to state resources.
Now, to be fair and factual: Hajiji has not been charged, nor has any proven evidence emerged that he personally accepted bribes.
But here is what is publicly documented:
- The MACC questioned Hajiji as part of the wider probe into the mineral‑licence bribery network triggered by Albert Tei’s recordings.
- Media reports confirm he was interviewed, although he does not appear in the leaked videos.
- A former Sabah Mineral Management CEO accused him of abusing his powers in earlier licence issuances an allegation he strongly denied, calling it politically motivated.
- Hajiji publicly stated that no mining licences were approved, only “prospecting licences,” and that the videos circulating were meant to threaten or destabilise his government.
These are not small details they establish that Hajiji is not an outsider to the case. He is part of the political ecosystem under scrutiny.
And that matters. Because Albert’s dealings were not with random officers. They were with individuals inside a system built under Hajiji’s administration a system responsible for evaluating, approving, or rejecting mineral‑related proposals.
So while Hajiji denies misconduct, the structure beneath him is undeniably entangled in this scandal:
- GRS leaders were named.
- Sabah assemblymen were filmed.
- Prospecting approvals and mineral discussions circulated within his government’s orbit.
And when everything blew up? Hajiji chose strategic silence a silence that raised more questions than answers.
Silence from the top does not neutralise a scandal. It defines it.
Because when a state’s mineral wealth becomes the subject of shady recordings, stalled approvals, under‑the‑table discussions, and federal‑level political involvement… the Chief Minister cannot pretend to stand outside the frame.
Albert wasn’t crushed by one politician. He was crushed by the machinery of state and federal politics machinery that runs beneath Hajiji’s leadership.
5. Anwar Ibrahim The Name That Turns a Scandal Into a National Crisis
Whether the Prime Minister truly knew anything or not his name is now tied to the scandal because:
- his political secretary was involved,
- his aide’s proxy mentioned his “blessing,”
- his office is implicated by proximity,
- and the resignation happened at a politically sensitive time.
The public doesn’t need courtroom proof. The public sees patterns.
And here, the pattern is loud: State leaders involved. Federal aides involved. A businessman crushed. A whistleblower arrested.
When Anwar promised reformasi, people believed he would clean the system. He stood on stages across the country declaring, “India anak saya, Cina anak saya, Sabahan anak saya, Sarawakian anak saya.” It was a powerful line a father‑figure promise that every Malaysian child, no matter state or race, would be protected under his leadership.
But today Sabahans are asking: “If we are truly his anak, why didn’t he protect our future? Why didn’t he protect Sabah’s economy when this scandal exploded? Why is the businessman exposing corruption in Sabah the one punished and not the politicians involved?”
Because leadership isn’t about claiming everyone as your child on the campaign stage. Leadership is proven when your so‑called anak are in trouble and you show up.
And in this scandal? That leadership is missing.
Because if a Prime Minister can call every race and every state “anak saya” during the campaign trail, but goes silent when his Sabahan anak are caught in an economic scandal involving his own office then the poetry of politics has failed the reality of governance.
Sabahans don’t need another slogan. They need protection. They need accountability. They need a leader who stands with them when their future is threatened, not one who vanishes behind bureaucracy and political convenience.
6. MACC The Agency That Came In Early but Still Failed the Public
MACC began probing early. They called in Sofia. They monitored Albert. They tracked the movement.
But here’s the painful irony: the whistleblower is now the only person on the road to jail.
His wife said officers were pointing a gun at Albert’s forehead. This wasn’t an arrest. This was a message.
It tells every future whistleblower:
- If you expose the wrong people, you become the target.
- If you reveal political deals, you become the criminal.
- If you have evidence, power will bury you.
This is not how justice works. This is how fear works.
7. The Five Players and the Future of Sabah
At the heart of this scandal are five names:
- Hajiji Noor (state power)
- Albert Tei (businessman)
- Shamsul Iskandar (federal link)
- Sofia Rini Buyong (the connector)
- Anwar Ibrahim (the national shadow)
And surrounding them is the question every Sabahan is asking:
Where is the benefit for the people?
Sabah is rich in resources. Sabahans are rich in hope. But politics is poor in integrity.
No one is talking about how mineral profits could lift rural communities. No one is talking about how revenues could fix schools. No one is talking about how jobs could change lives.
Instead, the conversation is:
- Who got paid?
- Who lied?
- Who used who?
- Who planned what?
- Who leaked?
Sabah deserves more than commission politics. Sabah deserves development not drama. Sabah deserves leaders not gatekeepers.
8. A Column for Sabah, for Malaysia, for the Public
This isn’t just a scandal. This is a story about what happens when corruption, greed, and political ego collide with a businessman who simply wanted to build.
Sabahans are tired. The rakyat is tired. Businesspeople are scared. Whistleblowers are punished.
And yet the same leaders still campaign about integrity. The same leaders promise change. The same leaders preach moral values.
But when a system crushes the man exposing the truth… that system is already rotten.
This column is not for the five players. This column is for Sabah. For the people. For the future.
Sabah has waited long enough.
Will the new government will be transparent in this mineral business deal and share the huge coming profit with Sabahans!
Annan Vaithegi (annanvaithegi@icloud.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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