Unit trust scandal haunts Sabah BN

Opposition assemblymen in Sabah want Speaker Salleh Tun Said to disqualify himself from making any decision or ruling on motions related to the Saham Amanah Sabah (SAS) issue.

KOTA KINABALU: It has been more than a decade since the Saham Amanah Sabah (SAS) scandal made news but it is still short of a WikiLeaks-type exposure to bring the curtain down on the controversy.

The issue continues to threaten the political careers of those involved in the state government-run fund where about 55,000 investors lost their savings shortly after the Barisan Nasional (BN) government launched the scheme.

The cause of the unit trust fund’s collapse in the mid-1990s remains a secret but it could get a fresh airing in the coming State Legislative Assembly meeting.

All the main players are still around including the chief ministers at the time, Salleh Tun Said, who is now the Speaker of the state assembly, and Yong Teck Lee, who is now an opposition leader.

It was during Yong’s term in power that the fund collapsed to less than the value of a bunch of bananas.

The BN state government has refused to publish a White Paper on the controversy and the opposition has capitalised on its reticence, claiming that it has something to hide.

SAS still a issue

As has been the rule during every state assembly sitting, the SAS debacle has become an issue that has been debated across the floor with accusations and counter-accusations traded between state representatives.

It is expected to be the same again but this time Salleh has become a key player as he is now the Speaker.

The opposition members want him to disqualify himself from making any decision or ruling on any motion on the issue at the coming assembly sitting.

They say this is necessary to prevent any prejudice on the issue as Salleh was the chairman of the fund from 15 June to Aug 18 and again from Oct 22, 1994 to Feb 15, 1996.

Luyang representative Melanie Chia, who is a senior member of Yong’s Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), said this in response to Salleh’s statement on the White Paper on SAS.

“He (Salleh) was the deputy chief minister and the finance minister when SAS was launched by the then deputy prime minister and finance minister, Anwar Ibrahim, at the end of 1994.

“We are not suggesting that Salleh has done anything wrong as SAS chairman or as finance minister or as chief minister at the time.

“We only want justice to be done and the truth to come out…,” said Chia, who is also the SAPP women’s wing chief.

Integrity at stake

Chia cautioned that if Salleh makes a ruling against a motion on SAS or allows a motion to be “defeated by time” as happened at the April 2010 sitting, then justice would not be seen to be done.

“People would reasonably believe that there is something to hide on the part of the Speaker or the government.

“Salleh should let the ministers answer in the assembly (sitting) if there is nothing to hide,” she said.

Chia also warned that Salleh was in danger of compromising the integrity and public image of the office of Speaker by ruling on issues which he himself was involved in when in power.

“The government of the day should be mindful that it is the responsibility of the assembly to ensure that the interests of the people are upheld,” she said.