As bribery allegations shake Sabah, CM Hajiji insists no mineral licences approved, will not succumb to political games

Julia Chan
·2-min read
Malay Mail
Malay Mail

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 5 — Rocked by allegations of bribery involving Sabah’s mineral prospecting licences, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor accused “certain parties” of politicising the issue to threaten the state government after their application was unsuccessful.

Hajiji said claims of a mining lease issued under his administration to any party was false and was intended to create confusion and destabilise the state.

According to Hajiji, “a group” had applied to mine nearly one million acres of land, consisting of totally protected areas, water catchment zones, and conservation areas.

“When their application was unsuccessful, several video clips were circulated in an attempt to threaten the state government. Allegations that elected representatives sought bribes or engaged in misconduct related to this issue are baseless,” he said in a statement last night without naming anyone.

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Hajiji, who is Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman said that to date, the government has only issued prospecting licences aimed at exploration and the collection of geomineral data, and no mining leases.

The prospecting licence was a preliminary step required before any application for a mining lease by eligible companies can be considered.

“Following the circulation of several recent video clips, I wish to assure the people of Sabah that the state’s mineral resources remain safeguarded and are being managed meticulously for the benefit of future generations.

“Unfortunately, this issue has been politicized by certain parties with malicious intent to create confusion and destabilize the political landscape. The Sabah government will not succumb to efforts aimed at disrupting the state’s political stability,” he said.

He said that the recent acts of “linking edited video recordings, disseminated with malicious intent, including threats in the form of criminal extortion,” was a desperate move aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the GRS government.

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Hajiji, who became chief minister after the 2020 state election, has had to fend off allegations of corrupt practices within his government following a series of videos released that insinuates bribes being offered to several GRS Cabinet ministers and assemblymen in exchange for the prospecting licence.

Members of his state Cabinet implicated in the videos so far are Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmy Yahya and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

Yesterday, the youth wings of Sabah Umno and Parti Warisan called for Hajiji and the implicated ministers to step down to enable the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to investigate.

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