Sabah PKR to spill beans on Musa-linked RM40m

FMT Staff

The campaign is expected to draw on the ‘insider knowledge’ of former Sabah Umno treasurer Ibrahim Menudin.

Sabah PKR today kicked off its “tell-all” campaign about the RM40 million political contribution to Sabah Umno and its link to Chief Minister Musa Aman.

The roadshow titled “‘Jelajah Sumpah Kembalikan RM40 Juta Hak Rakyat Sabah” will cover over 20 constituencies in Sabah and is expected to draw on the “knowledge” of former Sabah Umno stalwarts such as Ibrahim Menudin and Lajim Ukin.

Ibrahim was once Sabah Umno treasurer and Lajim, until his defection in July, was a federal deputy minister and deeply knowledgeable of the going-on in Sabah Umno.

In launching the campaign this morning, Sabah PKR chief Thamrin Jaini said the roadshow will be revealing to Sabahans and will expose the ruling Barisan Nasional leaders for what they are.

“Greed and corruption have been the mainstay of the BN leadership in Sabah. We will reveal their excesses during the roadshow,” he said, adding that among the constituencies identified for the roadshow were Kota Belud, Kudat, Kota Marudu, Ranau, Sandakan, Beluran, Kinabatangan, Batu Sapi, Libaran, Silam, Kalabakan, Tawau, Papar, Kimanis, Beaufort, Menumbuk and Labuan.

Jointly launching the roadshow this morning was national PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar, who said the campaign also aimed to stoke the 1999 reformasi spirit and the 2008 call for justice among Sabahans.

Shamsul said the RM40 million controversy was a hot issue in Sabah and Sabahans needed to know the truth.

Thus far both Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Musa have refused to reveal the source of the RM40 million political contribution, although Musa did declare in the State Legislative Assembly sitting earlier this year that he was willing to tell all.

It’s probably his trump card against Najib, considering speculations that he will be replaced by Umno vice- president Shafie Apdal.

The latest update on the RM40 million cash came from former KL CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim, who in an open letter recently noted that the transactions for the “political donation” and a secret Navy document sale to a French defence company were made around the same time in Hong Kong.

Coincidentally an alleged ally of Musa was detained in Hong Kong with S$16 million (RM40 million) in cash on him.

Timber tycoon Michael Chia was detained at the HK International Airport in August 2008. At the point of arrest he told Hong Kong police that the money belonged to Musa.

Last month, amid accusations of corruption directed at Musa, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz told Parliament that the cash Chia was carrying was not meant for Musa personally but was a donation to Sabah Umno.