MACC probe into Sabah’s federal-funded rural projects takes centrestage
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) probe into federal-funded rural projects in Sabah took centrestage in the state’s headlines this year, where a former minister was investigated over his alleged connection to the scandal.
In October, it was revealed that MACC was looking into the mishandling of funds for more than 70 projects under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry statewide, involving RM1.5 billion from 2009 to 2015.
At least 45 witnesses were interviewed and 13 people remanded to facilitate the investigation, with the most prominent personality being Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who was the ministry’s former head.
Two of Shafie’s brothers, two other Warisan leaders and two Umno Youth leaders were among those who were remanded.
On the environmental side, the nation saw the loss of Puntung, one of Malaysia’s three remaining Sumatran rhinoceros in the middle of this year.
The female rhino was put down after struggling with skin cancer back in June.
Experts believe there are less than 100 rhinos in the wild of Sumatra and Borneo, while two are in captivity in Malaysia.
But Iman, the country’s last female rhino, was recently diagnosed with a tumour in her uterus.
In-vitro fertilisation was said to be the way forward in conserving the species.
However, experts and researchers are still working on this.
Tragedy struck early this year when a catamaran tragedy claimed the lives of four Chinese tourists during the first day of Chinese New Year on Jan 28.
On that day, 28 Chinese tourists boarded the boat with a skipper and two crew members from an unauthorised jetty in Tanjung Aru.
The boat capsized en route to Pulau Mengalum.
Three people — a tour company owner and her manager son, as well as the skipper — claimed trial to charges, including negligence that endangered human life and personal safety.
Tragedy also came in the form of natural disasters when Kota Belud was hit with repeated flooding this year, which was said to be a post-impact of the 2015 Ranau earthquake.
The district was the worst hit when Sabah’s west coast suffered the tail end of Typhoon Lan in October, with over 2,000 people evacuated and placed in eight relief centres in a week’s span.
The latest happened this month when over 1,000 people from 26 villages had to be relocated to relief centres for several days following continuous rains.
Kota Belud district officer Abdul Gari Hitam said there were six major flooding that required evacuation while flash floods occurred 70 times last year.