Tan, Yee, big losers

KOTA KINABALU, May 14, 2009: Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah and Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai are the biggest losers in the fight for the Deputy Chief Minister's (DCM) post, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah.

He proclaimed this in an immediate response to the reshuffle to the State Cabinet announced by the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman yesterday, in which the Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Peter Pang was appointed the new DCM replacing Tan.

Chong explained that this was because Tan failed to retain his coveted DCM post despite having joined Parti Gerakan, a Peninsular-based party and the second largest Barisan Nasional (BN) component party after MCA, while Dr Yee, despite his intense lobbying for the said post, also failed to get it.

He noted Yee's intense lobbying for the said post was obvious when of late he had been making a series of statements praising the Chief Minister over a host of issues including his generous allocations to the Chinese schools and temples, as well as the approval of the application by the Hainan Federation of Sabah and Labuan to build another Mazu statue in Kudat.

Chong also said it was understandable that Tan failed to retain his DCM post in view of the fact that Gerakan has no influence nor has it contested in any election in the State before.

Besides this, he also described Peter's promotion as the DCM as a hard slap on the face of his own party (LDP) leaders who had earlier said its present state leaders were not ready to take up such a post, citing their lack of experience.

As a matter of fact, LDP Youth Chief Chin Shu Ying who is the brother of its deputy president Datuk Chin Shu Phin who is known to be closely aligned to its former President, Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, recently even suggested that the DCM's post be given to MCA instead, as it is the largest Chinese-based political party in the country.

According to Shu Ying, if the position is held by an MCA representative, he will be able to make full use of his good connections with the four MCA federal ministers to help the Chinese community in Sabah .

Chong also suspected that Peter and his other party colleague, Pang Yuk Min's appointment could also be an inducement by the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman to Kah Kiat to drop the ongoing legal suit against him over the halted Mazu Sea Goddess's statue project in Kudat.

"We hope Peter and Yuk Min's promotions are not a compromise for the halted Mazu project in Kudat," said Pit Fah.

He nonetheless hoped Peter could make good use of his newly-upgraded position to solve the many perennial problems faced by the rakyat, in particular, the healthcare services since the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) crisis has yet to be fully resolved after its main tower block was declared unsafe seven months ago.

Other pressing problems which Peter should also pay a good attention to are the poor infrastructures, perennial water and power supply situation and the continuous presence of large number of illegal immigrants in the state.