A construction conglomerate controlled by the family of Sarawak Governor Taib Mahmud is the sole supplier of cement in Sarawak, Malaysia’s largest state. This was confirmed on Wednesday in a radio interview by Richard Curtis, the CEO of Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS), broadcast by the Malaysian business channel, BFM.
According to Curtis, CMS has “sole supplier status“ for the 1.8 million tonnes of cement consumed in Sarawak per year. Curtis claimed this was because there is “no room financially for another player“, not because of CMS’ ties to the Taib family.
Curtis acknowledged that ““the Taib family is the single largest shareholder in the group“ “but claimed that “it doesn’t actually help to do business. We have got to where we are because we are professional, competent and we deliver. (…) It’s not from a position of privilege.”
The CMS CEO refused to shed light on other controversial issues, such as his company’s businesses with Low Taek Jho, the flamboyant businessman, so much in the news recently for all the wrong reasons.
Interviewed recently Richard Curtis, CEO Of the Taib family owned Sarawak firm CMS told anyone who would listen that although the company is “wholly Taib family owned” its commercial success is entirely due to its (and by Implication) his commercial acumen.
Personal trumet blowing aside even Curtis had to admit that his company (owned by the Taibs) has a monopoly for cement in Sarawak. How legal that is is smething for lawyers to look at and if it is legal (which it should not be) the Federal Attorney General (a relative of the Sabah Chief Minister) should see about making it illegal,
That aside how much of a business genius do you have to be to make your company profitable when it has a monopoly in something so basic to development as cement?
Maybe Mr. Curtis should take some lessons in public relations to try to avoid making a public fool of himself in future.