Coming under heavier attack as the state election looms, Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has ramped up his defence on cyberspace through more videos, this time on his official website.

The three videos of under five minutes each were embedded via YouTube under the username Chiefministertaib on Wednesday on www.chiefministertaib.sarawak.gov.my.

The unidentified interviewer in the videos - which were advertised via Google ads - appears to have a British accent, but like the person who interviewed Taib for the pro-Taib website Sarawak Reports video, he is not shown on camera.

In the video titled Financial transparency, Taib explains that he does not live a lavish lifestyle, and that in fact, there are people in Sarawak who live in “better houses” than him.

“What do you mean by lavish? Anybody who goes to Sarawak will see there are no more thatched roofs and houses are mushrooming everywhere.

“Good quality houses are built everywhere. I am (living in) one of them (but) there are better houses than mine. Facts and figures are available, examine it,” he says.

If he was indeed corrupt as alleged by his detractors, he says, then people around the country would not have “a deferential attitude towards (him)”.

“That is not the attitude given to someone who is supposed to be very corrupt, very greedy, no!”

“If we are doing bad things, I would not have lasted (a) long, long time. You can’t hide crime... hide malpractices for nearly 50 years of my life. It hurts,” he says.

Not corruption, but entrepreneurship

In the video, the septuagenarian, who has been in power for 30 years, is dressed in a light brown batik shirt and seated on a classic European-style settee with a statue of a silver horse behind it, in a cozy setting.

NONEThe CM, who said he joined politics after seeing “the face of poverty on (his) own people”, appeared dismayed and exasperated, at times wringing his fingers, shaking his head and furrowing his brows.

Asked about his businesses abroad, Taib said he had opted to set up shop overseas to avoid being charged with conflict of interest.

“I had to do business outside more than 30 years ago (as) I don’t want conflict of interest to haunt me all the time... people will say I used my influence to enrich myself.

“Of course, outside the country, if you’ve got talents, some money, you can really build a good business. You don’t have to be corrupt to do this, entrepreneurship has its own rewards.

“Over 30 years... everybody can be rich if they have something up there (pointed to his head), if not there is nothing you can do,” he says.

Low voter registration as people are happy

In the video entitled Political Process, Taib claims that he believes many people do not register to vote as they are satisfied with the government.

“There are people who are not bothered with getting registered because they feel there is nothing to complain very much. If there is a lot of dissatisfaction, a lot of bitterness towards the government, a lot of feeling that they have been left out in the process of development, then maybe the rate of registration will be higher,” he says.

He adds that he is not in charge of elections and should not be accused of vote rigging, as elections are handled by the Election Commission.

“The Election Commission has never been criticised severely for being unfair. If there was unfairness, there would be much less opposition parties winning seats in the country.

“After all I’m quite confident to win in a fair election, so why tolerate an unfair election?” he asks.

To a question on youth voters who are accessing information on the Internet, Taib, in a seemingly grandfatherly fashion, said: “The young people should understand that they will inherit all this.

“If the country is spoiled because of instability, bad politics, they are going to lose.”