PARLIAMENT | Sarawak DAP chairperson Chong Chieng Jen has called on the MACC to investigate the assets of the state’s former governor Abdul Taib Mahmud.
“At least a request for asset declaration should be made by the MACC against them (Taib’s family) so that we Sarawakians know how much wealth has been collected throughout his administration.
“Therefore, I once again call on the MACC to take action. That's our basic right to know,” the Stampin MP said in his debate on the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat today.
This comes amid the anti-graft agency investigating the family of former ministers such as Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Daim Zainuddin and ordering them to declare their assets to the MACC.
Daim and his wife Na’imah Abdul Khalid were charged on Jan 29 and 23 respectively with failing to declare their assets to the anti-graft commission.
MACC has also ordered Mahathir’s sons - Mirzan and Mokhzani - to declare their assets.
Chong praised the investigations on Mahathir’s family and Daim’s, urging the government to speed them up.
He also questioned if other individuals or families should be targeted for MACC investigations.
Last month, Switzerland-based NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) called for an immediate freeze of Taib’s assets following the latter’s death on Feb 21.
The NGO's executive director Lukas Straumann also wants the government and judiciary to reopen investigations into the origin of Taib's and his closest family members' "enormous wealth".
It is worth noting that BMF had been a vocal critic of Taib for many years, including penning a book about the alleged riches and corruption linked to the late senior politician.
PAS to blame over Swift miss
On Singapore’s exclusive rights to Taylor Swift’s concert, Chong said that Bersatu leaders should direct their criticism towards their allies in PAS.
“Look at what your friends in PAS have done to A-list celebrities like Coldplay, and Blackpink. When they come here, PAS leaders insist on cancelling the concert at the last minute and try to control the way celebrities dress or what they can do on stage,” he said.
He also expressed doubt that Malaysia would be an option for Swift even if the Singaporean government did not procure a grant to ensure that the city-state is her only stop in Southeast Asia.
Such popular celebrities would be upset at having to perform in Malaysia with all of the restrictions and the risk of cancellation at the eleventh hour, he added.
The tendency of the opposition and PAS to play on religious and racial sentiments, he said, also makes it a less attractive destination for artists.
This is despite Malaysia having the best facilities outside of Singapore for such performances and concerts in the region, he added.
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