Tax officers call on Kuamut rep

KOTA KINABALU: After calling the police over the presence of unknown cars outside his house in Kepayan here, Kuamut assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah (pic) received a visit by tax officials.

Sources close to Masiung said the nine-member team from Kuala Lumpur who came on Wednesday, however, did not take anything from the house.

Pictures of the visit was uploaded on the Facebook page of Masiung’s wife on Wednesday evening but were later removed.

The tax officers were said to have searched the house.

Masiung, a member of Parti Warisan Sabah led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, could not be reached for comment.

On June 25, he lodged a police report over some unidentified people in cars parked outside his house close to midnight on June 23.

Political circles claimed that it was aimed at coaxing him to leave Warisan and support the Perikatan Nasional.

Separately, Shafie when addressing the crowd in Keningau yesterday, weighed in on the pressure piled on his assemblymen to cross the floor.

“If they want to go (on their own freewill), they can go.

“I did not stop assemblymen Datuk Limus Jury (Kuala Penyu) and Datuk James Ratib (Sugut) from leaving. “If they want to leave they can leave. “But don’t put pressure or make offers. If they don’t want to leave, don’t use other means of pressure,” he said.

Shafie said Warisan and its partners were focused on developing the state and its assemblymen were already in the state government to serve the people.

“They don’t need to leave a (sitting) government to form another government,” Shafie said.