State should exercise autonomies to address corruption and strengthen transparency: Ex-CM
PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for the Usukan state seat, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, has issued a forceful call for sweeping reforms to Sabah’s local government system, warning that opaque decision-making and unchecked political influence are eroding public trust and enabling abuse of power.
The former chief minister and federal minister said Sabah should fully exercise the state autonomies it possesses, instead of waiting for federal-level initiatives, by introducing live broadcast or publicly accessible district and city council meetings to address corruption and strengthen transparency.
Highlighting the extent of Sabah’s constitutional powers, Salleh Said emphasised that the state retains control over key areas, including immigration, land and local government, and “should not feel obligated to follow administrative models from Peninsular Malaysia”.
“We do not have to follow the peninsula,” he said in a recent podcast, noting that Sabah has its own rights that can be leveraged for meaningful, people-centric reforms.
He said the lack of transparent processes in local councils has led to planning decisions that routinely ignore community interests and fuel public anger.
He pointed to situations familiar to many Sabahans, such as villagers waking up to multi-storey buildings erected directly in front of their homes or coastal areas being reclaimed without meaningful consultation.
“If you have a home in the village, suddenly a three or four-storey building is built right in front of it.
“In other countries, there is a proper process for objections, but not here.
“Even at sea, land is reclaimed just like that. Our beautiful views disappear because the sea in front of us is reclaimed.”
He argued that these problems persist because the current system makes it easy for opaque decisions and potential abuse to go unchecked.
Salleh Said said Sabah must introduce open, live-streamed or physically accessible council meetings so that the public could witness how decisions are made, who makes them and on what basis.
“The system allows these things to happen because there is no transparency. If we (BN) win, one thing we want to pursue is reform in local government. If corruption is happening, it often occurs at the local council level.”
He added that such reforms could be carried out immediately because local government falls squarely under the state’s jurisdiction.
“We do not need to wait for reforms from the federal government. This is Sabah’s own autonomous right.”
Salleh Said also called for a more democratic selection process for village leadership, saying the long-standing practice of political appointments has distorted representation and created unnecessary disputes.
Currently, village chiefs are appointed through Village Development and Security Committees, which are often dominated by political actors or local elected representatives.
He said this fuels patronage and undermines the community’s ability to choose leaders who genuinely represent them.
“One more thing BN wants to propose is the establishment of a village government. Right now, it falls under the committees, and political figures appoint the committee members.
“We want to hold elections in the villages. This would allow the people to choose their own leaders to represent their voices.”
He said such reforms cannot simply be introduced through administrative directives and would require a new enactment by the Sabah Legislative Assembly to establish a proper framework for democratically elected village governments.
Salleh said although some informal selection practices exist, political influence often overshadows them.
“Typically, the elected representative makes the appointments because it is seen as a reward for supporters. But this creates conflict at the grassroots.
“In contrast with Thailand, the rural administration is carried out democratically. When political changes occur, there is no problem at the grassroots because the democratic system there is strong.”
He said strengthening democracy and transparency at local government and village levels is essential for building more resilient governance for Sabah’s communities.
