ABU DHABI: The calls made by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor for a probe into alleged power abuse by state assemblymen should be supported by other party leaders, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who is Barisan Nasional chairman, said he had read media reports on several assemblymen caught on tape discussing bribes in exchange for obtaining project licences.
"The stance taken by Hajiji who said he left it to the authorities to conduct investigations into the matter must be followed by other party leaders," he said in a press conference here today.
Zahid was met during his inaugural seven-day official to the United Arab Emirates to boost bilateral relations and to explore collaborations through trade, investment and artificial intelligence, technical and vocational education and training (TVET); and green technology.
Zahid said he hoped the ongoing investigations would not disrupt the tabling of the Sabah state government's budget today.
"I hope the voting process to approve the state budget goes smoothly.
"As we know, the Sabah state election is coming up in October next year. We must brace for any eventualities, depending on the results of the investigations by the authorities," he said.
On Nov 12, Hajiji said his government was prepared to cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) following allegations of its assemblymen involved in bribery.
Hajiji said they were aware of the audio recording which allegedly indicated several assemblymen of the state receiving bribes.
He had asked the authorities to investigate them and the other party who had offered the bribe. He said he had nothing to hide and the allegations in the audio recording were accusations.
Recently, an online portal reported the existence of at least eight video recordings implicating several assemblymen discussing alleged bribes worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit as a reward for securing projects in a state.
So far, it was reported that the MACC had yet to receive any official complaint from any parties, including informants claiming to possess the audio recordings.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said that the informant's lawyer had met with commission officers on Oct 30.