Digest on Malaysian News

Continued from The Taib Timber Mafia

The “Stop Timber Corruption” Campaign

On the 18th February 2011, the Bruno Manser Fund launched a campaign to “Stop Timber Corruption”, focused on the Chief Minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud (“Taib”). Since 1981, Sarawak has been governed by Taib, an exceptionally powerful and corrupt man, who has abused his public office in a spectacular way to enrich himself and his closest family members.

While Taib and his family members have personally profited immensely from the destruction of the Borneo rainforest through logging and oil palm plantations, Sarawak’s indigenous communities have lost their land, the source of their livelihood and have been increasingly marginalized. IWGIA’s Report “The Indigenous World – 2012”, states, „Taib Mahmud and his family are causing discontent among the indigenous peoples and civil society in general.

The Stop Timber Corruption campaign has built up international pressure against the corrupt Taib family and pressure to put a stop to timber corruption in Sarawak.“

Abdul Taib Mahmud has been Chief Minister of Sarawak since 1981 and is concurrently Finance Minister and Planning and Resources Minister of Sarawak. He has long been criticized for corrupt practices and abuse of office but Malaysian authorities have failed to take action against him, despite an ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), Taib and his family members have illegally acquired assets worth billions of dollars in Malaysia, Canada, the UK, Australia, the United States and other countries. As part of the campaign, BMF conducted research into Taib business in Malaysia and overseas which uncovered the vast dimensions of the family’s illicit assets. The findings exposed that Malaysian potentate “Taib” and his family have a stake in over 400 companies around the globe and hold illicit assets worth several billion US dollars.

Read also The aim of Taib Timber Mafia report