Accusations of corruption are nothing new in Sabah, with both Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) caught in the crossfire.
Now the matter has got cybertroopers running abuzz over the crimes the Sabah leaders have alleged committed from both sides of the camp.
Videos circulating on social media allegedly show GRS leaders discussing bribes in exchange for mineral licenses.
The leaked clips sparked outrage, with Sabahans questioning whether their state’s natural resources are being sold off.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor denied the allegations, calling them political games.
“We have issued prospecting licenses, not mining permits,” he said, while pledging full cooperation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
But Warisan supporters are quick to remind GRS that their own leaders faced corruption charges too.
In 2017, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was arrested over the alleged misappropriation of RM1.5 billion meant for rural development.
The scandal dated back to his time as Minister of Rural and Regional Development, when he was still in UMNO.
Warisan vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony faced money laundering and criminal breach of trust charges linked to government contracts between 2014 and 2015.
Anthony wasn’t a Warisan leader at the time, only joining the party after it was formed in 2016.
Similarly, Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, Warisan’s information chief, was arrested in connection with the same RM1.5 billion scandal.
The difference between the two parties lies in the nature of the allegations.
Warisan’s scandals involved misappropriating government funds for rural projects – essentially taking public money.
GRS, on the other hand, is accused of potentially giving away Sabah’s natural wealth through corrupt deals involving mineral resources.
Natural resources belongs to the people while the government only manages these assets.
Still, both types of corruption are damaging, but one question stands out: Is it worse to steal money, or to sell off your state’s future?
Misappropriating funds hurts people in the short term, but losing control of natural resources can cripple a state for generations of her people.
As Sabahans watch the MACC investigations unfold, the bigger concern isn’t which party is guiltier.
It’s whether Sabah’s political culture will ever truly change. – January 10, 2025.
