Sexual assault allegation shines spotlight on pageant

KOTA KINABALU: A controversy is brewing over the just-concluded Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen) cultural pageant when one of the beauty contestants alleged that she was sexually molested by a politician.

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said they were looking into the report.

“If there is a report, we will investigate and take the necessary action, ” he said yesterday.

He added that police would take statements from all parties involved, saying that no one was above the law.

He also said the police could still carry out their probe even if the police report was withdrawn, adding that they could launch an investigation into the complainant who withdrew his or her report.

A police report said to contain the allegations was widely shared online, but it could not be ascertained if the report was genuine.

According to the report which was lodged on May 21, the contestant claimed that the politician, who is also the senior event organiser, had asked her to follow him in his car for dinner after a photo shoot at a bridal house in Asia City here on May 19.

She alleged that while inside his vehicle, the man rubbed her thighs, neck and hands even though she tried to stop him. She claimed she was taken to the man’s former office where he continued to harass her despite her protests.

The man was believed to be involved in the technical side of the pageant.

Calls to the man went unanswered.

When contacted, Unduk Ngadau Borderless Kaamatan 2021 chairperson Joanna Kitingan declined to comment on the police report, saying that it was best to leave it to the police to investigate the matter.

“We did our best to organise this event. This has been one of the most challenging times, ” she said, referring to holding the event amid the Covid-19 pandemic.