KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional will conduct a comprehensive forensic audit on state-owned Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM), which has been hit by a graft scandal, if it is given the mandate in the coming election.
Sabah Barisan state information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir said this would be the coalition's first step if it is given the mandate to govern again.
Suhaimi, the Libaran MP, said the audit was crucial to ensure that every approval, licence and mineral concession granted was done transparently and in the best interests of Sabahans – not for personal or political gain.
"The SMM issue has exposed serious weaknesses in the management of the state’s natural resources," he said in a statement on Friday (Oct 24).
"When the administration of state assets becomes riddled with controversies, it is a clear sign that the system has loosened and must be corrected immediately."
Sabah Barisan believes Sabah needs a government that dares to fix what is wrong, not one that simply denies it, he added.
"The forensic audit will be Barisan’s first action to restore public confidence in the state administration," he said.
Following the emergence of the so-called "whistleblower videos" late last year, senior leaders of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government had been implicated in controversy over the issuance of mineral prospecting licences.
Two GRS assemblymen have been charged with receiving bribes based on allegations by businessman Albert Tei, who was also charged with giving bribes.
The videos, purportedly recorded in secret by Tei, have implicated a dozen state assemblymen, including eight state ministers.
