Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has again denied any element of corruption in a video released by international NGO Global Witness, which alleged the abuse of logging licences by members of his family and business associates.

However, Taib described the covertly-filmed conversation as “normal business talk”.

taib mahmud responds to global witness report story“To use a business talk as an evidence to allege someone else it is a bit far-fetched. Any businessman will try to promote himself with all the glorious connection he has made, isn’t it [sic]?” he said in an interview with news blog The Mole.

“This is a normal business practice. I know this, all people in Malaysia know this. I don’t think we can trust this talk unless they can show us their proof that there are [sic] money that will be given to me or my bank account on how much I have received it. However this has not been shown at all.”

Taib was referring to separate conversations between two of his first cousins, a family member of his key business partner and a lawyer who represented the cousins, with an undercover investigator sent by Global Witness and who had posed as foreign investor.

The two cousins, Norlia and Fatimah Abdul Rahman, and two lawyers were caught on video explaining the mechanism of circumventing existing laws to profit from the logging licences issued by the state government.

They also advised the “investor” on the modus operandi to evade tax and circumvent the government's requirement of 51 percent local shareholding ownership.

One of the two individuals, Huang Lung Ong, had claimed that Taib would receive a kickback of approximately 10 percent of the licence value.

Two lawyers interviewed during the undercover operation have since denied any involvement in corrupt practice.

Taib claimed that his cousins and the two lawyers did not know why those questions were posed to them by the investigator who wanted to find out about business requirements.

He also told the news blog that he does not know the two lawyers.

“That’s why my first response is, well they want to promote themselves, I have no objection to it but I have nothing to do with it.”

He reiterated that the video is not evidence but a campaign “to smear Sarawak’s leadership and society”.

‘60 percent forest cover’

On Global Witness' allegation that only five percent of forests are left in Sarawak, Taib - who is also the state minister of resource planning and environment - insisted that nearly 60 percent of the land is covered by trees and the state government practises “strict rules” in term of logging.

“We have reserved one million hectares of our forests for national park. Almost five million hectares have been reserved for long-term forests. It (forest plantations) will be harvested for timber but it will have to comply with very strict rules.

azlan“By strict rules we mean that for every hectare, only seven trees will be allowed to be cut down for timber every 25 years. There are no such strict rules like this even in the European countries for logging activity.

“This 25-year cycle sustainable forest management has been certified by ITTO (International Timber Trade Organisation). I am puzzled why people who criticise Sarawak did not look at the satellite pictures of our forest cover. You will see nothing is bold in Sarawak, you can see it straight away.”

Taib said prominent investor and philanthropist George Soros, who funds Global Witness, can come to Sarawak to look at the forests.

“... If he wants he can come and see with his own eyes. I can tell him he can travel all the way from Limbang or Lawas to Kuching and he will see nothing else but trees and trees.

“Most of them are our natural trees, some are oil palm which I think is as healthy a producer of oxygen for the environment as our natural trees.”