Royal Mulu Resort: Bian reports Taib to MACC
By Joseph Tawie, Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian has reported Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s latest alleged malpractice to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Taib allegedly “personally” owns 400,000 shares in the highly controversial Royal Mulu Resort
The Royal Mulu Resort project, which has several of Taib’s family members also involved, has reportedly been receiving huge injections of cash from the state.
Flashing downloaded copies of the latest exposure on Taib’s power abuse, Bian said he had decided to forward copies to the MACC “to see what action they can be taken”.
Online newsportal Sarawak Report had on Thursday disclosed that Taib was “a major personal” shareholder in the resort.
The portal speculated that Taib, who is also the State Finance Minister, had “authorised the diversion of large sums of public money straight into his own pocket”.
“As State Resources and Planning Minister, Taib was also responsible for the forced acquisition of a large area of native customary lands from the indigenous Berawan tribe to build the resort, for which the tribe people received virtually no compensation.
“Our evidence therefore further exposes him for having authorised this land-snatch for his own direct benefit,” the report said.
Speaking to reporters after handing over copies of the report to officers Suzita Marikan and Omar Mokhtar Johari of MACC’s enforcement unit, Bian said: “As a concerned citizen, I came forward to provide the MACC with these copies of allegations of corruption and abuse of power in case the MACC has not seen or read them. It is for its information and further action.
“These are very serious allegations against the chief minister and Sarawakians are particularly interested to know what action the MACC can take. These allegations are very disturbing.”
Bian, who was accompanied by his lawyer Desmond Kho and senior state PKR members, also distributed copies of the online report to the media.
Share shock
The Nov 25 online report also dissected the company’s shareholding.
It reported that Mesti Bersatu Sdn Bhd was incorporated in November 2007. The company in turn has a 50% shareholding in the Taib family company Kenyalang Cergas, one of the main shareholders of Borsamulu Resorts Bhd (BRSB).
BRSB was handed the ownership and lucrative management contract for what was once a state-owned National Park, thanks to a series of decisions by Taib’s own government starting in 1991. The management contract is paid for by the taxpayers.
The report also alleged that other major beneficiaries and shareholders of the Royal Mulu were members of Taib’s family, including his sister Rasiah, her third husband Robert Geneid and the family of his later brother Arif Mahmud.
“Taib has personally accused the Berawan (local natives) people of being ‘greedy’ for refusing to hand over their lands for ‘development’,” it said.
Their protests in the 1990s were brutally put down by the army and police and their leaders were imprisoned.
“Deprived of their territories, these communities are now impoverished and hungry and few people, apart from the Taib family, will have difficulty in discerning where the true greed lies,” the report said.
