By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 27: Sarawak activist Peter John Jaban has called for immediate and concrete action against corruption following stern warnings by Malaysia’s former and current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, stressing that there must be “no special treatment for corrupt officials regardless of rank”.
In a press statement issued today, the Saya Anak Sarawak member welcomed and praised the firm stance taken by former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and current Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim ibni Sultan Iskandar, describing their warnings as a clear reminder that corruption is a grave betrayal of the nation.
“His Majesty’s warning must translate into immediate and concrete action — no special treatment for corrupt officials regardless of rank, proportionate punishment that respects justice, real protection for whistleblowers, and institutional reforms that place integrity at the core of governance,” he said.
Peter said it was unjust to demand moral courage from young Malaysians when corrupt behaviour continues to be normalised among political and institutional elites, despite calls by the King for the youth to break the cycle of corruption.
He stressed that the royal warning should not be reduced to a moral sermon aimed only at the rakyat, but must be seen as a “direct and serious warning” to political leaders, senior civil servants and institutional heads entrusted with public power and trust.
Touching on recent governance and procurement failures, Peter said the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) now face a defining test, particularly with the installation of new leadership.
“The installation of new leadership must not be treated as a routine change of command or a public relations exercise. It is a moment of reckoning,” he said, adding that such failures were the result of years of neglect, entrenched silence and leadership paralysis.
He said public patience had worn thin, warning that excuses framed as “legacy issues” or “systemic complexity” no longer convinced Malaysians who had repeatedly seen accountability delayed and responsibility diluted.
According to him, the current MAF leadership has a narrow window to prove its commitment to reform, calling for transparent audits, firm accountability for past misconduct and decisive action against corruption within the first 100 days.
Peter also cautioned that corruption cartels were not confined to a single ministry.
“Cartels are not confined to the Ministry of Defence. They run deep across multiple ministries and government departments, and the public will no longer tolerate silence or selective accountability,” he said.
He concluded by warning that corruption is not merely a legal violation but a moral crime and an “institutional cancer” that erodes public trust and robs future generations of opportunity.
“Development without honour is merely delayed destruction,” he said, adding that if the royal warning is ignored, “the failure lies not with the King or the people, but with those entrusted with power who chose betrayal instead”. — DayakDaily
