Poor crisis management does more harm, Shafee tells Sabah CM's aide
Senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has offered guidance on crisis management to Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s political aide.
Describing his assistance as an act of “reciprocal gratitude”, it was prompted by Roland Chia’s earlier suggestion that Shafee advises his client - the whistleblower in the alleged Sabah corruption scandal - on actions to avoid.
“Poorly executed crisis management can often do more harm...
Summary
Senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah says aide to Hajiji Noor should be guiding him on how to avoid missteps.
This follows Roland Chia’s advice to Shafee to stop his client from contacting elected representatives and journalists with speculative or misleading accounts.
Senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has offered guidance on crisis management to Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s political aide.
Describing his assistance as an act of “reciprocal gratitude”, it was prompted by Roland Chia’s earlier suggestion that Shafee advises his client - the whistleblower in the alleged Sabah corruption scandal - on actions to avoid.
“Poorly executed crisis management can often do more harm than good. You should be guiding the chief minister on how to prevent such missteps,” he remarked to the political aide.
Shafee also criticised Chia for downplaying a potential legal violation by dismissing it as merely the result of “loose lips” without providing concrete evidence to support the claim.
“This is a serious matter involving a potential breach of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and possible abuse of power. It should not be trivialised with conjectures,” he told Malaysiakini.
Storm brewing
Chia’s remarks came after the senior lawyer questioned how the chief minister became privy to details of the whistleblower’s statement to MACC.
The political aide said that in high-profile investigations involving multiple stakeholders, information often emerges from various sources.
“More so since his client (the whistleblower) has been actively engaging in conversations with elected representatives, journalists, and other parties - and is still to date reaching out to them - it should hardly be surprising that such discussions extend beyond private circles.
“Rather than making baseless insinuations against the chief minister, Shafee would do well to advise his client to stop contacting elected representatives and journalists with speculative or misleading accounts aimed at shaping public perception,” Chia said.
On Sunday, Shafee expressed “shock and curiosity” over how Hajiji knew his client had not admitted to bribing assemblypersons during MACC questioning, as such information is protected under the OSA.
Hajiji, who has denied the corruption allegations, referenced the whistleblower’s statement during a public speech.
Shafee clarified that his client neither denied nor admitted to giving bribes, opting instead for a neutral stance to avoid self-incrimination.
‘False narratives’
Responding to Chia’s claim of “false narratives” being propagated through the media, Shafee pointed to the articles quoting anonymous sources which accused the whistleblower of attempting to blackmail the chief minister and being part of a cartel seeking to monopolise mining licenses in the state.
“Aren’t these articles an attempt at media theatrics as well? Designed to shape public perception when it is proven that no police report was lodged on the blackmail attempt?
“What about suggesting that the videos concerned political donations and not corruption even before the investigation is completed? Is this not an attempt at manipulation as well?” he questioned.
Shafee stressed that his client has the same democratic right to share his version of events through the media and public platforms as the chief minister does.
Recalling the whistleblower’s challenge to Hajiji to sue him for defamation, the lawyer said: “My client has offered a solution to resolve this quagmire.”
“Perhaps Chia should advise the chief minister to accept the offer to prove that the allegations are unfounded and that the videos were edited in an open court,” he added.
Last week, MACC said it had recorded the statements of 15 individuals, including the whistleblower, over the videos.
However, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the whistleblower had declined to submit the evidence in his possession because he was still requesting protection from legal repercussions.
Yesterday, a Warisan Youth leader lodged a police report over Hajiji’s speech where the latter seemed to possess information on the content of the whistleblower’s statement to MACC.
