Rafizi Ramli has voiced disagreement with those who hailed Albert Tei, the businessperson behind the Sabah mining scandal, as a “whistleblower hero”.
However, the PKR lawmaker emphasised that, unlike Tei, the alleged recipients of the bribes are public office holders with a mandate from the people.
“The public will never accept a situation where only the broker is punished while the people who took the money go free,” he added in a social media post.
Rafizi said he addressed the issue on the latest episode of his “Yang Berhenti Menteri (YBM)” podcast when asked whether Tei had tried to meet him. The episode is scheduled to air tomorrow.
“The simple answer: yes, someone came to deliver a message claiming to represent Tei. But I wasn’t interested from the start because I saw this as just another typical example in Malaysian politics. Someone pays, someone receives, and everyone pretends to be shocked when it comes to light.
“To me, this was just a ‘deal that didn’t happen’, not a story of heroes versus villains,” he added.
According to Rafizi, a true whistleblower is someone within the system who exposes wrongdoing without personal interest, willing to take risks on principle - not a broker caught in the middle.
This morning, Tei and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide Shamsul Iskandar Akin were charged with giving and receiving bribes in connection with the mining scandal.
Albert's exposé and repercussions
Since last November, Tei has implicated more than a dozen politicians in Sabah, revealing secretly filmed conversations, screenshots of WhatsApp messages, and other documents.
He has also provided the MACC with more than 300 pages of documents, which purportedly show the money trail of the transactions.
Tei claimed the politicians accepted bribes in exchange for mineral exploration licences. After the licences were cancelled, the frustrated businessperson decided to go public.
Initially, he sought legal immunity under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 in exchange for handing over his evidence to the MACC, and also revealed the videos to Malaysiakini on the condition of anonymity.
However, his request for immunity was denied, and MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki had exposed his identity during a press conference.
Tei also alleged that a “high-ranking” MACC official had discouraged him from coming forward with the evidence.
In June, Tei and two of the implicated assemblypersons were charged in Sabah, but critics have accused the government of shielding the others from prosecution.
Anwar has denied any cover-up, stating that the case remains open and that the investigation papers are with the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor has accused Tei of being part of a cartel attempting to monopolise mining in the state. - Mkini
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