C4 Center backs 25 January anti-corruption rally organisers

On 25 January, the Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah anti-corruption rally will be held.

The rally is being organised by Sekretariat Rakyat Benci Rasuah (the People Hate Corruption Secretariat), a student-led group, in the wake of an ongoing corruption scandal involving the Sabah state government.

The rally, as well as the public statements issued by the secretariat, has since been publicly endorsed by civil society organisations and academics.

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) adds our voice to the growing list of supporters, strongly endorsing collective citizens’ action against corruption and strongly condemning the actions of government officials and influential individuals who have attempted to discourage or suppress the secretariat’s right to freedom of expression and assembly.

The ongoing corruption scandal involves Sabah state assembly members –  captured on audio and video by a whistleblower – allegedly receiving bribes in exchange for government contracts to business people.

Several high-profile figures have been implicated, including Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, who has vehemently denied any corrupt activity taking place within his government.

The recordings were sighted by online news portal Malaysiakini, which also reported that the whistleblower was seeking guarantees of protection before proceeding with a formal report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

However, the MACC refused any guarantees of whistleblower protection and this, coupled with the lack of accountability by Hajiji Noor and his government, have ignited public outcry over the government’s lack of action in effectively dealing with corruption allegations.

This adds to mounting doubt by members of the public and civil society over the government’s commitment to tackling corruption as espoused by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since taking office in 2022. Anwar had promised sweeping institutional reforms to ensure transparency and accountability and a zero-tolerance attitude towards public sector corruption.

Numerous events have compounded public dissatisfaction, such as:

The upcoming rally is not the first of its kind as similar rallies have been held, most notably on 31 December 2024, when students from Suara Mahasiswa Universiti Malaysia Sabah marched in protest against the alleged corruption by Hajiji Noor and his government and against the appointment of Musa Aman as Governor of Sabah.

Throughout these events, the students have faced significant resistance, threat and harassment:

Parties who are acting in favour of the government and on the government’s behalf are clearly suppressing these students’ right to freedom of assembly. Anwar Ibrahim, despite his own claims of anti-corruption, has not spoken up explicitly in support of the rally organisers or condemned the actions taken to suppress them.

Hence, C4 Center reiterates the calls made by Sekretariat Rakyat Benci Rasuah for fully transparent investigations into all allegations of corruption without fear or favour and for those found liable to face swift and decisive action.

C4 Center also urges in the strongest possible terms for the government to introduce good governance laws and policies in order to remedy the systemic corruption that has become endemic within Malaysia’s political landscape.

The “Madani” (civil and compassionate) government can no longer rely on excuses and justifications of “incremental change” any longer. – C4 Center