Power Transfer to curb abuse - Yong
KOTA KINABALU: The guarantee that no chief minister can sign away huge tracts of land, forests and mines to private interests was put in place on June 17, 1996, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, yesterday.
He recounted that it was when the Sabah Legislative Assembly transferred the chief minister's powers to the Cabinet by amending the Sabah Land Ordinance, the Forest Enactment and the Mining Ordinance.
He said he was the chief minister who moved the motion to amend the iaws which was passed by the State Assembly and that the chief minister's powers have since been transferred to the Cabinet.
He added that it was done three weeks after he was appointed as chief minister in view of the massive abuse of powers like the award of the 347 acres of sea front land to a company registered in the British Virgin Island which allowed secret shareholders.
"The land, now known as Sutera Harbour, was applied for in 1993 and the land title was issued in super speed the same year. The premium paid was about seven million ringgit. The same land was then charged to a bank for more than 40 million US dollars. All these were done towards the closing days of the PBS administration.
"Another piece of the sea, opposite the First Beach near Shangri-La's Tanjong Aru Resort, was approved by the 1993 Chief Minister was to a KL company. Even the Maliau Basin, now a protected Heritage Site, was approved for coal mine exploration to an Australian company. All these were never known to the Cabinet at the time.
"Hence, the need to transfer the powers to the Cabinet so that future chief ministers, including myself, were not able to abuse their powers over land, forests and mining," said Yong when commenting on a recent statement by Kota Kinabalu member of parliament Hiew King Chiew that there was no guarantee that a future chiefminister would not approve sea front lands to private interests.
Yong, who was the chief minister from May 1996 to May 27 1998 under the rotation system that has since been abolished, noted that another approval for land for joint venture before the June 17, 1996 amendments to the law was the so-called government quarters land at the Second Beach and Third Beach.
"This agreement was signed a few weeks before I became chief minister.
"But PBS and DAP characters collude to defame me and tell lies that the project was approved by me. PBS and DAP want to protect Umno leaders and want to kill me politically. In return, both PBS and DAP have been rewarded," he contended
In an unrelated issue, SAPP treasurer-general Dullie Hj Marie warned Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong to stop putting pressure on SAPP to be subservient to the DAP.
He dismissed Wong's recent claim that Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) offers to SAPP and other opposition to join the PR to topple Barisan Nasional were still on.
Dullie pointed out that just in early September this year, PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar had made a statement recognizing the status of SAPP, and that SAPP need not join the PR coalition in order to work together.
"Now Jimmy is putting himself above PR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – such is the height of DAP's super arrogance. He should understand the seriousness and the responsibilities being political parties," Dullie contended.
The Borneo Post
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Page 1-2
No comments:
Post a Comment