PENAMPANG, May 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said he was not at liberty to take action on those involved in the Sabah mining scandal without proof of wrongdoing.

Anwar said that the viral videos needed to be investigated thoroughly and until then, he would not be making any “dictator” approaches such as those seen in the past.

“So I want to explain so that everyone understands — I do not want to hold a government position just to protect anyone. Some people say ‘the Prime Minister must act’, ‘the Prime Minister is not firm’, ‘the Prime Minister talks about anti-corruption but allows corruption…’

“This Prime Minister is not a dictator; I follow the law, I have to go through the process, I cannot just arrest people like that,” he said during his speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Sabah State Level Kaamatan Festival 2025 at the Hongkod Koisaan Hall, Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) here today.

He said he would not use his position as Prime Minister to protect any party who was involved in wrong doing, including whistleblowers, but instead leave it up to the enforcers to carry out their duties according to the law.

“Investigations are the job of MACC or the police. Prosecution is the job of the Attorney General. Judgment is the job of the courts. The Prime Minister’s role is to ensure the entire system functions well,” he said.

“The Prime Minister must not be the investigator, the prosecutor and the judge. That is called a dictator. We have experienced that before. I know that system. So don’t ask me to repeat it,” he added.

Anwar, who is Pakatan Harapan chairman, apologised to the crowd at the KDCA hall today for bringing up the issue but said it was important enough to warrant addressing.

“There is the perception, especially in the city, as if there is an effort to cover up corruption and wrongdoing.

“I had asked the MACC, I watched the video, and it looked real. According to the law, these short videos can be investigated, but cannot be brought to court. There is no court that will accept short videos especially in this era of AI.

Anwar said the source of the videos had not been forthcoming, and only snippets were released, complicating investigations.

“We are aware that the government’s responsibility is to defend the rights of whistleblowers. But what if we take one case where a person who stole or embezzled RM2 billion went to the authorities and said I will provide information on someone who embezzled RM100,000. Is it appropriate for us to provide him with protection? No,” he said.

Anwar said a thorough investigation was underway following the acquisition of the full videos.

“If there is any wrongdoing, there must be action, I agree. So I hope this can be understood and accepted,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anwar also thanked chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor for working with the federal government and said that good state and federal relations were the key to a progressive state and nation.

He said Putrajaya placed high importance on Sabah, which is why it had spared no expense in defending its sovereignty in international courts against self-proclaimed Sulu claimants.