By : STAFF CORRESPONDENT.
THE video has obviously been
prepared with the intention of attacking Sarawak Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul
Taib Mahmud. The video was filmed surreptitiously by luring participants to
hotel rooms under the pretext of doing business deals but with the real
intention of recording the discussions and trying to link Taib to corrupt
practices.
The video was filmed by a
foreign body which has made clear its intent to oppose Taib continuing as the
Chief Minister of Sarawak.
The purpose of the video is
clearly political as it was filmed in April 2012 but was released to coincide
with the impending Malaysian General Election, some one year later.
As decent people, let us
look at the contents of the video in proper perspective and with objectivity
rather than accept blindly or unconditionally the inference the video wishes
viewers to draw. From the outset of the video, the following facts can be
derived:
(1) That the video is a
setup. The “business discussions” were
recorded by concealing and lying about the interviewer’s identity. The
interviewer is unknown but from the way he spoke and asked questions, he was
most likely a foreigner of European origin with journalistic capability to
conduct interviews and elicit information.
(2) That the video was
produced by or through the efforts of Global Witness. A further check on the
background of Global Witness reveals it is NGO which receives funding from
George Soros.
(3) That it cannot be
ascertained whether the contents of the interviews have been modified to suit
the intended purpose of the message. However, it is reasonably certain that the
video has been edited to carry the message of Taib’s alleged corruption.
(4) That it is reasonably
certain that the people who were interviewed are Norlia, the eldest daughter of
the former chief minister of Sarawak who was bitterly attacking Taib in the
80’s and 90’s; Alvin Chong, a prominent lawyer in Kuching; Huang Lung Ong, a
lawyer in Sibu who is the nephew of Datuk Hii Yii Peng – who owns Kingwood
hotels. Datuk Hii Yii Peng’s only surviving son Hii King Chiong had recently been
very active in politics but facing fierce rivalry from the incumbent in SUPP
Miri. It is not clear why Global Witness chose Datuk Hii Yii Peng and used
Huang to imply that Taib receives 10 per cent of the sale price as corruption
money.
(5) That, as far as it can
be ascertained, the two alleged sales were (1) one land of size 5000 .ha and
(2) one land of size 32,000ha.
The whole video can be
summarized as follows:
There are these two events
depicting the essence of the message of the video which portrays to the
viewer(s) that Taib is corrupt and has robbed the people of Sarawak during the
30 or so years of his chief ministership.
The two events
The first event as presented
in the video:
A company called Ample Agro
Sdn Bhd is the owner of a piece of land measuring 5,000 hectares in Sarawak.
The owners of the shares in the company are cousins of Taib who are very close
to him, so much so that the said land being a State Land was given by Taib to
the cousins for a nominal amount paid to the State Government and which the
cousins then would sell for USD16 million (RM48million or the equivalent of
RM4000 per acre), thus enabling the cousins to reap a huge profit.
On top of that, the cousins
were proposing to collect a big portion of the consideration offshore in
Singapore with no official records in Malaysia to avoid paying substantial Real
Property Gains Tax (RPGT).
Added to this, in another
interview, a prominent Kuching lawyer named Alvin Chong was captured on video
revealing how he would facilitate the transaction to avoid RPGT and also
circumvent the prohibition of foreigners owning land in Sarawak.
It is, however, not clear
from the video whether the two interviews are referring to the same parcel of
land owned by Ample Agro Sdn Bhd.
The second event:
A Sibu lawyer named Huang
Lung Ong from Huang & Co Advocates was recorded on video as saying that a
land of area consisting of 32,000 hectares was for sale at the sum of RM270
million.
The land is owned by a
company Billion Venture Sdn Bhd, and the majority shareholder of the company is
Datuk Hii Yii Peng who is also the owner of Kingwood group of hotels. Huang
said Hii and Taib were very close friends and approximately 10 per cent of the sale proceeds would be paid to Taib in
return for Taib granting the land to Billion Venture. Huang also said Taib also
owned 10 per cent of Kingwood hotel.
After reviewing the video,
which included other commentaries, viewers are led at first blush to conclude
that Taib is corrupt over the 30 years of his stewardship of Sarawak as its
Chief Minister and these two interview events (which included the Alvin Chong
interview) are examples and proof of such corruption. Some may also think Taib
cronies are involved in evading tax knowingly, breaching serious Malaysian laws
which are punishable with jail term.
(6) Truth witness investigation. The allegations
contained in the Global Witness are, indeed, very serious in every aspect so
much so that it warrants serious investigation. The matter is serious because
of the impact it may exert on the following:
(1) The political outcome of the coming general
election as to who will form the next government at the national level although
it won’t affect the state political landscape for another three or so years.
(2) It is not difficult to question the timing of
this video release to the public through e-media just on the eve of the
Malaysian Federal general election. Given current political projections that BN
and PR may be running neck to neck in West Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, being
hitherto “fixed deposit for BN ticket to continue governing the country,” will
also be crucial for PR to make headway to wrestle seats from local BN
strongholds in order to have a chance to win the next election. For BN,
regaining lost ground in West Malaysia and holding onto existing seats in Sabah
and Sarawak will be the main focus.
(3) It is, therefore ,not surprising to see that
issues were raised from Sabah on the conversion of immigrants into voting
Malaysians through the issuing of blue IC. The matter is under Royal Commission
investigation which is expected to reveal explosive details in due course.
Although the Royal Commission has yet to finish its role, one side is already
saying the granting of citizenship to a horde of foreigners was carried out
with endorsement of the then BN leader and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
while the other side is saying the then DPM Anwar Ibrahim was the mastermind in
the implementation. Photographs have also appeared showing Anwar and the Sulu
Sultan together, thereby suggesting the intrusion into Sabah may also be
politically motivated to portray Prime Minister Najib as a weak leader.
(4) It is equally not surprising to deduce that
attacks have been made and will continue to be made against Taib before the
general election is over.
On the other hand, while it
is not surprising for the politicians from both sides to throw punches below
the belt, it would be of great concern that a foreign body or organisation like
Global Witness is involved in the political tussles for whatever its intentions
may be. Whatever it is, it is clear that Global Witness is attempting to
interfere with Malaysian politics. Any Malaysians, be they BN or PR,
cooperating with these foreigners are not only treacherous but are also
traitors and enemies of the people of Malaysia.
Ample Agro Sdn Bhd
The agricultural land given
to Ample Agro Sdn Bhd, a company owned by the close relatives of Taib, is
undeniable. But it also cannot be denied that the Sarawak Government had
granted some 1.5 million ha of State Land to over 300 different companies to
develop into oil palm plantations.
The effort, initiated by
Taib, to establish oil palm industries in Sarawak has started to bear
substantial fruit. As a result, the industry has invested no less than RM15
billion in oil palm plantations which produced over 14 million metric tonnes of
FFB in 2012 generating a hefty revenue of over RM6 billion for the industry in
the State.
Among these oil palm
investors, the majority are Sarawakian corporations of different ethnic
community background. It is sad that being bumiputras and close relatives of
Taib, some are not able to develop the land given to them into oil palm estates
and instead they sought to cash out by selling the land. But one cannot blame
Taib for his cousin’s mistakes.
Taib’s foresight in being
able to lure local businessmen into investing huge amounts of money into oil
palm in Sarawak has brought immense benefits to the State. One also cannot
simply brush aside or forget that initially there were not many investors who
were interested in investing in oil palm in Sarawak because Sarawak land are
generally inferior to those of West Malaysia and Sabah.
By the same token, it is
wrong to accuse Taib of corruption during his 30 or so years as Chief Minister
in the way Global Witness presented. If anything at all, by granting land to
entrepreneurs, Taib is only guilty of luring Sarawakians into investing huge
amounts of money into oil palm planting in land which are mostly inferior to
Sabah and West Malaysia and which has become an important economic contributor
to the people and the government of Sarawak as a result.
Billion Venture Sdn Bhd
Global Witness claimed in
the video that Billion Venture Sdn Bhd owned a piece of 32,000 ha agriculture
land (through an interview with a lawyer named Huang Lung Ong) and it wished to
sell the land to a foreign investor for a sum of RM275million from which Taib
will be paid approximately 10 per cent or RM27 million.
Huang is said to be the
nephew of Datuk Hii Yii Peng and a lawyer practising in Sibu. Huang later
denied that Datuk Hii Yii Peng had anything to do with the proposed deal.
Further investigations must be carried out as Huang’s statements recorded in
the video cannot be relied upon.
In any case, the land
referred to in the video is not an agriculture land. Rather, it is an area
licensed under LPF for establishing tree plantation.
Tree plantation is another
Taib initiative to boost the timber resources in Sarawak. The LPF licence
conditions are very specifically described in laws.
The land area granted under
LPF are not transferrable and are not lease land. Currently, all LPF licensed
areas are owned by Sarawakian companies which are pioneers and the back-bone of
the timber industries here.
In 1996, the State
Government of Sarawak was looking at the productivity and economic returns of
idle lands which were affected by shifting cultivation or logging. The State
Government then identified a total area of 2.8 million hectares with a
plantable area of 1.3 million hectares for the development of planted forests
in the State (target to plant 1 million hectares) with an aim to provide
high-quality wood fibre and other forest products for industry and national
development.
While some planted trees
will be developed to support a pulp industry, the main product is to be logs
(for veneer and solid-wood products) to replace the amounts of timber harvested
from natural forests which are steadily being reduced in line with sustainable
yield and conservation requirements.
Challenges faced by the
industry include the following which have caused great delay in the planting
schedule as well as increased the cost of planting significantly:
(1) Lands made available for
planted forests in the State are characterised by very steep terrain,
relatively infertile soils and a hot and extremely wet climate.
(2) Insufficient
availability of high quality seedlings for planting.
(3) Lack of information on
soil characteristic resulting in mismatch tree species.
(4) Lack of knowledge for
proper site preparation for planting.
(5) NCR land claim due to unclear customary
ownership or other complex forms of tenure over land which the industry is
expected to address the matters by themselves.
(6) Labor shortage High recruitment cost of
foreign workers.
The cost of establishment of
1 million hectares of planted forests is estimated at RM10 billion (base on
RM10,000.00 per hectare). As of today, the industry has planted roughly 300,000
hectares with capital investment of RM3 billion.
Risks faced by the industry
during the long gestation period of planting include:
(1) Pests, insects and diseases attack.
(2) Forest fires.
(3) Social issues (include
land claims) with local communities which have gained great support from the international
NGOs.
Planted forests project
requires a huge sum of initiate capital investment during the site pre-paration
and planting period with no returns until harvesting which will normally take
at least 7-8 years for fasting growing species and 15-20 years for indigenous
species.
In the absence of relevant
financial and incentive support from government and taking into consideration
of the challenges and risks as mentioned above with no investment returns
during the long ges-tation period, the small and medium companies will not be
able to undertake such project.
It would be wrong to jump to
conclusions based on a person like Huang who said the large land, owned by
Billion Venture, was granted by Taib and put up for sale from which Taib had a
10 per cent interest in the proceeds of sale and therefore Taib is corrupt and
had skimmed billions of dollars. The video can only be considered as having no
credibility whatsoever. The secret recording unfairly deceived the interviewees
but also acted in the name of trans-parency with the intent to cheat the
viewers as well.
Accountability of Acts
If it is the intention of
Global Witness to expose wrongful acts, including corruption, law breaking, and
bring wrong-doers to justice, the act would be commendable, including hiding
the camera to bring out the truth.
However, Global Witness got
their facts wrong, and based on the wrong facts, sought to deduce that an
important person like Taib is corrupt. The timing and obvious intention of the
video is to have an influence on the coming general election of a nation and
this undermines the credibility of the video.
Unfortunately, damage has
been caused and justice may never be done because Global Witness is a foreign
entity. It is ironical that the avowed
intention of the Global Witness video to seek justice has been used to
perpetrate an injustice which is incapable of remedy.
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