KOTA KINABALU – Sabahans expressed outrage at details on the “Watergate” case recently revealed by a witness at the corruption court here.
As allegations emerged that the state Water Department distributed its allocations among top officials and Sabah politicians, people here said it was like rubbing salt in their wounds as they had put up with poor water supply services for decades.
There are still rural areas in Sabah with no water supply, while urban areas suffer frequent supply disruptions due to old and faulty pipes and pumps.
Despite the court cases, some of the locals are sceptical that graft will stop.
“These consolidated companies with corrupt officials and politicians have dirty hands, and they are doing it at the expense of the people of Sabah.
“As we continue to vote for mediocre people, they have made a career from their corrupt practices, making it endemic in Sabah too,” said local activist Remy Majangkim.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. Bigger schemes are at play, as water management is under the state's purview.”
Meanwhile, Sabah Amanah founder Hamzah Abdullah said the fiasco only proves that both the Sabah and federal governments had failed to prioritise the people.
“It (corruption within government departments) will continue, for sure. Unless we change our politicians and stop voting for the same people, it will continue for many years to come.
“That also means that Sabahans will continue facing water disruptions for many years to come.”
He claimed the development budget allocated to Sabah hardly reaches the target group because of politicians who act to line their own pockets.
“In the end, what do we get? Secondhand pumps and pipes from other countries that end up faulty, and we don’t get our water.
“How many (more) years must we endure this problem? In Sandakan, the people face water disruptions almost every week,” he said, echoing the sentiments of Sandakan resident Chan Tzun Hei.
Chan, 40, said since he was a kid, he grew up in Sandakan with constant water supply issues, especially during or near festive seasons.
“I always wonder, what has the top management of the Water Department, the ministry, and the government been doing for decades?
“We always hear the government talk about development, with the largest allocation given to infrastructure development and improvement. But nothing has been improved. In fact, it (water supply) only gets worse.”
He said it is the public’s perception that the Water Department is the “golden goose” department; where there is a problem, there is an opportunity for projects.
He added that allocation and spending must be made public and audited.
Perhaps it is not a bad idea for the Water Department just to be a governing body, and its services could be privatised.”
On Thursday, former Sabah Water Department deputy director Teo Chee Kong told the special corruption court here that the list of commissions had gone to the director (5%), quantity surveyor (3%), chief water engineer, and accountant (1%) from 1989 until September 2003.
Teo, who was made a runner for the kickback scheme, said a former Sabah minister also benefited at least RM500,000 from the corrupt practices in the department in 2004.
He was testifying in the trial of former Sabah Water Department director Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 58, and his wife, Fauziah Piut, 55, who are jointly tried with Lim Lam Beng, 66, to 37 counts of money laundering charges, involving cash and bank savings amounting to RM61.57 million, as well as unlawful possession of luxury goods. – The Vibes, January 14, 2023
