SAPP will move motion for white paper on SAS fiasco at assembly sitting

Kota Kinabalu, Feb 4, 2010: The two SAPP members of the State Legislative Assembly will move a motion under Standing Order 31 of the Assembly to ask the BN State Government to publish a white paper on the SAS fiasco so that the whole truth will be made known in the interests of the public and SAS investors.

This motion is necessary because of the arrogance of the PBS members of the BN administration who have repeatedly attacked SAPP, especially its President, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, on the SAS issue. These PBS leaders have over the years made defamatory and malicious statements that Datuk Yong was responsible for the losses suffered by SAS investors. PBS has been suggesting that wrong doings have been committed in SAS's dealing. Its supreme councilor Chin Tek Ming had even tried to mislead the public that Datuk Yong was the Chairman of SAS.

SAPP has been consistent all along that Datuk Yong and SAPP other leaders have nothing to hide and nothing to fear on the SAS issue. If any wrong doing has been committed by Datuk Yong or its two ex-members who were ministers at the time, Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah and Datuk Tham Nyip Shen, then they should be exposed and punished. Any wrong doing of political leaders should not be used as bargaining chips to make them obey BN and UMNO. Any attempt to do so by the authorities amounts to political corruption.

On new year's day last month, PBS Information Chief Datuk Johnny Mositun, who is also Deputy Speaker, revived the issue by naming Datuk Yong as the ex-Chief Minister responsible for the SAS fiasco although there were several Chief Ministers whose tenures straddle the SAS issue.

Datuk Johnny Mositun later sheepishly backtracked by claiming that he had named only Datuk Yong as the the ex-CM for the SAS fiasco because of SAPP Youth leader Edward Dagul's police report on his (Mositun) press reports. But he shot himself because the police report was made by Edward after, and in response to, his (Mositun's) news report.

Other PBS leaders who joined the fray included PBS deputy president and Cabinet Minster Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai, PBS Vice President and assistant minister Datuk Herbert Timbon Lagadan and political secretary John Lim. They had called on Datuk Yong to explain the SAS issue, implying that Datuk Yong was responsible for the SAS fiasco.

SAPP has always maintained that Datuk Yong is not in a position to explain the SAS issue because Datuk Yong was not involved in the policies and investment decisions of SAS. SAS documents, board and investment committee minutes and other official records are government documents. If Minister Datuk Yee Moh Chai, Datuk Herbert and Datuk Johnny Mositun want to know more about the SAS issue, they should use their government channel to find out.

Why is Datuk Dr. Yee not agreeable for a white paper on SAS? Does he expect the people to forget that he was very vocal on the SAS issue before he became a Minister six years ago? Does he know something today that he did not know before he became a Minister? What has he got to hide? Of is he trying to cover up for somebody?

The last time that a White Paper was presented to the Assembly was on 2 April 1998 by the then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries cum Chairman of the State Forestry Policy Implementation Committee. The White Paper was on the "Reclassification of Banggi Forest Reserve from Class I to Class II (Pengkelasan Semula Hutan Simpan Banggi Dari Kelas I ke Kelas II)". (Shown here is a copy of the white paper). The paper was presented under Standing Order 17(2).

The SAS White Paper can be published under the same standing order. SAS board and investment committee minutes and transactions, memos, circulars and other official records can be included in the white paper.
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