Explain your role in Sabah seafood venture, BN rep told

Queville To | January 9, 2011

PENAMPANG: A Barisan Nasional assemblyman allegedly involved in a multi-million ringgit business venture in Sabah has been asked to explain his role which is in conflict with his government position.

Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong has identified the assemblyman as Samsudin Yahya, from Sekong.


Wong said that Samsudin was also the chairman of Ko-Nelayan, a state-owned fisheries agency established in 1978. The agency’s chief aim is to develop the state’s fisheries and aquaculture industries.

Wong urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to conduct a thorough investigation on Samsudin’s position as a director of a Lahad Datu-based private aquaculture firm, Borneo Aqua Harvest Bhd.

Speaking to the press yesterday, Wong said that Samsudin’s position in the company gave rise to a conflict of interest.

“I am sure the success of this (Borneo Aqua Harvest) company can be attributed to the contribution of resources or skills from Ko-Nelayan to the company on the instruction of Samsudin.

“This is definitely a case of conflict of interest. The government must explain this and the MACC must investigate for any abuse of power and corrupt practices,” he said.

To substantiate his charge, he distributed copies of computer printout of the company’s corporate information which indicates that Samsudin is an independent non-executive director of the company.

He said that Samsudin should immediately resign from Ko-Nelayan since he is a director in the private company.

Wong also questioned the composition of Ko-Nelayan’s board of directors which, he said, comprised those from one particular community and did not reflect the 1Malaysia concept advocated by the government.
“BN is talking about 1Malaysia but not practising what it preaches,” he said.

End the farce

On his revoked “native” status, Wong, the Sri Tanjung Assemblyman, said he was still waiting for the letter of revocation of his native certificate for him to take the matter to court.

He urged the government to end the farce and immediately lift the freeze on the issuance of such certificates and restore the rights of those born of mixed parentage.

“Thirty years is a very long time. Many Sino-natives have been deprived of their rights and privileges. They have lost out in terms of acquiring land, property and investment meant for the natives,” he said of the freeze that came into effect in the early 1980s.

“Their children have also lost out in terms of scholarships and financial assistance. Their children may not be able to inherit their properties such as land. Their grandchildren will continue to lose out if they do not get recognition as natives,” he sid.

Wong called on the government to put in place a “good system” to prevent abuse of the certificates.
On the native courts, he proposed that such courts be placed on par with the civil and syariah courts.

“They must be independent of the executive or the legislative (branches of the government),” he said, adding that the role of the government and legislature was to set the rules and policies and for the native courts to interpret them.

Wong also urged the government to inform the National Registration Department to register children of mixed marriages according to their races such as Sino-Kadazan, Sino-Dusun, Sino-Murut, Sino-Ringus and not as Sino-Native in their MyKads.

“Sino-Native is not a race, it is just a grouping,” he said.

Incidentally, Samsudin was one of Wong’s chief “prosecutors” in the latter’s battle to retain his native status as a Sino-Kadazan.