A botched shot?
The political scandal in Sabah in which a businessman secretly filmed assemblymen discussing projects and monies is a game not to expose corruption but to grab power.
WHAT shall we call the political scandal in Sabah in which a businessman secretly filmed YBs (assemblymen) discussing projects and monies?
Some call it the whistleblower exposé. But for me, it is not the right phrase as it gives the wrong impression that the businessman is a whistleblower.
He is not.
The businessman has told a news portal, to which he has exclusively given his edited videos, that he had bribed the YBs to get them to support his application for a mining exploration license.
Under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) 2010, protection could be revoked if the whistleblower participated in the improper conduct that he disclosed. Also, a whistleblower who shares the disclosed information with outside parties, such as the media, risks revocation for violating Section 8(1), which prohibits this action.
By exclusively sharing the secretly filmed videos, which the businessman told the portal that he had edited, he was engaged in a trial by media and social media.
In the words of his target, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, the businessman wanted to tarnish the chief minister’s and state government’s image. The businessman also wanted to bring down the Hajiji and the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government.
It is a political game not to expose corruption but to grab power. I’ll call it “Langkah Billiards”.
