KOTA KINABALU, July 23 — An opposition assemblyman today questioned why a hospital director accused of sexual harassment allegedly remained in office months after internal investigations were conducted, calling for stronger accountability mechanisms in public institutions.
Sungai Sibuga assemblyman Lisa Hassan Alban said the alleged incidents took place in July 2025 at a Hospital in Likas, where two internal investigations were carried out.
She claimed the findings showed the director had admitted guilt and agreed to opt for early retirement, but alleged that the individual was still serving at the same hospital four months later.
“What happened? Four months passed. By November, the same director was still moving around, still working and still holding power in the same hospital,” she said during the debate session at the State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
Alban said the alleged failure to take immediate action had turned the workplace into “a severe psychological workplace hazard” for the victims and other staff.
“As a result of this sexual harassment, the hospital has become a psychological workplace hazard that torments the victims and their subordinates every day,” she said.
She said the issue went beyond sexual harassment and reflected broader institutional failures in dealing with alleged abuses of power by public officials.
Alban questioned whether the delay in action was due to incompetence or an attempt to protect senior officials.
“I truly hope this is not an integrity issue or an abuse of power to protect their own ranks. But even if it is merely a competency issue, it is not something that should be underestimated,” she said.
She also cited three recent cases involving alleged abuse, including a teacher accused of hitting a 10-year-old student until bruises appeared, and a father accused of molesting his seven-year-old disabled child.
“Recently, I have had to deal with three heartbreaking cases of abuse. The first – a teacher striking a 10-year-old student till bruises appeared, and the second, a father molesting their own seven-year-old handicapped child,” she said.
Alban said the common thread among the cases was that they involved civil servants and highlighted weaknesses in a system that failed to prevent alleged abuse.
She linked the hospital case to her proposed amendments to the Native Courts Enactment Bill, arguing that both demonstrated the risks of concentrating power without sufficient checks and accountability.
She said village chiefs, native chiefs and district chiefs served as trustees of their communities and should not be appointed or removed solely at the minister’s discretion.
Instead, she proposed that appointments be made from a shortlist endorsed by district officers and native leaders, while communities should have the right to petition the Native Court Commission for the removal of chiefs who abuse their authority.
“When we remove trust and accountability from the hands of the community, we open the door to misuse of power, just like the story of the hospital director who was protected by the bureaucracy above him,” she said.
Although her amendments were rejected on procedural grounds, Alban said she believed the proposed safeguards would ultimately benefit both the government and the public.
Yesterday, Kepayan assemblyman Chin Tek Ming and Parti Warisan member Dr Istefan Koh raised allegations of sexual harassment and workplace bullying involving a director at a public hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun confirmed police had opened an investigation after receiving a report in January, with the alleged incident said to have occurred in October last year. The case is being investigated under Section 509 of the Penal Code.
State Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Julita Majungki also said the state government takes the allegations seriously and adopts a zero-tolerance approach, adding that the Health Ministry and Sabah Health Department have initiated the necessary action.
