By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) refers to the recent statement by Azam Baki calling for “strong leadership” in the fight against corruption.
Let us be absolutely clear:
Sabah is not suffering from a lack of laws.
Sabah is suffering from a lack of action.
And nowhere is this more obvious than in the handling of the Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM) corruption scandal.
1. THIS IS NOT STRONG LEADERSHIP — THIS IS PASSIVE GOVERNANCE
We are told that leadership must be “strong” to fight corruption.
But what Sabahans are witnessing is the exact opposite:
delays
silence
inaction
When serious allegations surface and no decisive action follows, that is not strength.
That is hesitation.
That is avoidance.
That is leadership waiting for pressure — instead of leading.
2. WHEN THE POWER TO ACT EXISTS — BUT IS NOT USED
Malaysia does not lack institutions.
We have:
laws
enforcement agencies
investigative powers
So the question is no longer “Can action be taken?”
The real question is:
Why has action not been taken?
When the machinery of enforcement is fully available, but remains idle, it raises a deeply troubling possibility:
That the issue is not capacity.
The issue is will.
3. SELECTIVE ACTION IS WORSE THAN NO ACTION
Sabahans are not blind.
They see cases that move quickly.
They also see cases that do not move at all.
This creates only one conclusion:
Enforcement is not equal.
And when enforcement is not equal, the rule of law is no longer a principle — it becomes a tool.
A tool that can be activated.
Or withheld.
Depending on who is involved.
4. SILENCE IS NOT NEUTRAL — IT IS A SIGNAL
In corruption matters, silence sends a message.
It tells the public:
that accountability can wait
that consequences are negotiable
that some cases are inconvenient
This is not neutrality.
This is a signal of risk-averse leadership — leadership that calculates political cost before acting on principle.
5. SABAH DOES NOT NEED RHETORIC — SABAH DEMANDS ACTION
Statements about “strong leadership” mean nothing without:
visible enforcement
transparent investigation
timely accountability
Sabahans are no longer interested in speeches.
We are interested in outcomes.
Let us call this what it is:
This is not strong leadership.
This is selective leadership.
A form of governance where:
action is delayed
enforcement is uneven
and accountability depends on circumstance
If corruption is to be fought seriously, then leadership must prove it — not pronounce it.
Until then, every call for “strong leadership” will ring hollow in Sabah.
“Justice delayed is not just denied — it is designed.”
