Taib keeps his YBs wealthy

Taib Mahmud's 30-year tenure as Chief Minister and Sarawak Barisan Nasional chairman has spawned many millionaires within its circle of Ybs, says Sarawak Report.

KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s secret to staying in power is bribery, at least that’s what the ‘political insiders’ here are saying.

According to them, Taib has allegedly “bribed” MPs and assemblymen with timber concessions, plantations, contracts and whatnots in return for their absolute loyalty over the past 30 years.

Taib has been in power since 1981 and whilst he has himself amassed an unexplainable amount of wealth which runs into billions in US dollars, here and abroad, he has also ensured that his ‘immediate’ circle of political allies have also become as wealthy.

Take for instance his loyal deputy Alfred Jabu Numpang. Jabu has been Layar assemblyman for over 35 years, but the constituency is reportedly in a pitiful state. The man and his family however have reaped millions simply for keeping the native Ibans there convinced that Taib is ‘god-sent’.

Jabu has allegedly received contracts, concessions and kickbacks each time Taib awarded himself some goodies.
Jabu’s wealth is now sizzling the internet with disclosures of contracts awarded to him in the last decade.

Jabu – who may very well be yet another billionaire – and his politically connected cronies have allegedly received over RM500 million in contracts through KACC construction in the last 10 years.

The company is listed in the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) website.

The website also offers names of the projects and contract worth. All except two of the contracts awarded to KACC Construction by the Taib government are in Bintulu.

Shares in KACC Construction are reportedly held, jointly, by Jabu’s family and the families of state secretary Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani and Fadillah Yusof.

Fadillah is the MP for Petra Jaya. She is also the Deputy Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation.

KACC’s shareholders are Jabu’s daughter Jennifer and his cousin Robert Lawson Chuat (a PBB assemblymen). Other shareholders are Abdul Ghani’s brother Mohd Taufik and Fadillah’s niece and nephew.

Millions for Sagan’s loyalty
These details were part of a series of revelations on Taib’s ‘wealthy YBs’ by online investigative portal Sarawak Report (SR).

According to the portal, KACC Construction is not the only source of Jabu’s wealth.

Over the years Jabu and Taib have worked hand-in-glove in persuading natives to release their lands to them and their cronies, Jabu and his family run Herba Aromatics Sdn Bhd.

The state government had awarded this company lucrative concessions which include rights to oil palm plantation, said the portal.

Early last year it was widely rumoured that Jabu had ‘scored’ when he allegedly sold these lands to Felcra for RM7 million

Then there is Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority Malaysia (Salcra). Jabu is the chairman of the controversial Salcra which involved the mass conversion of tens of thousands of hectares of native customary lands into oil palm plantation.

Salcra was promoted as a way of providing the poor landowners with Sarawak with a living from the profits. But the portal said Jabu and his cronies however have happily reaped the benefits of the palm oil boom.

Meanwhile other juicy bits on Sarawak Report include how federal minister Jacob Sagan, who is the Baram MP, allegedly sold his allegiance to Taib for hundreds of millions of ringgit in timber concessions and construction contracts.

Sagan gave his support to Taib’s proposal to construct the monstrous Baram dam which will dislocate thousands of natives and destroy their livelihoods.

Naroden, another beneficiary

The Sarawak Report also mentioned Sarawak Entreprenuer Development Assistant Minister Naroden Majais who has made himself richer by allegedly awarding himself RM100 million worth of government contracts, with Taib’s permission.

Details and value of the contracts were posted on the CIDB website. The contracts were awarded to Embun Pelangi Sdn Bhd, whose board of directors include Naroden’s wife, Massenah Ahmad and son Kamaruzaman.

Since 2002 Embun Pelangi received no less than RM100 million in contracts from Taib.

Naroden, who is allegedly ‘very close’ to Taib, is also one of the biggest timber concessionaires in Sarawak. Much of these concessions areas are in the region of the Baram Dam.

FMT Staff | March 7, 2012