SAPP, Abdullah and Anwar

Saturday June 21, 2008

Senator, envoy posts offer smacks of bribery, says Yong

KOTA KINABALU: SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee claimed the offer of Senator and envoy posts smacks of bribery.

Yong claimed that he turned down the offer to be made a Senator and the envoy task for the BIMPEAGA region as a move to “shut his mouth” over issues his party had been highlighting to the leadership.

Showing the letter marked “rahsia (secret)” he said it was offered to him by Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman who told him that if he accepted it, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would announce it.

“I asked him why now. Is it to keep me quiet? He (Musa) said no, but I told him (Musa) I better not take it.

“Better offer it to some other SAPP member,” said Yong.

He said he received the offer letter on June 17, a day before he announced that SAPP MPs would table or support a motion of no confidence against Abdullah.

Yong said that when he met Abdullah on May 13, Abdullah had told him that there was a long list of people who would be appointed as Senators.

“I felt like I was being baited,” he said.

Stressing that he had nothing personal against Abdullah, Yong said that he had never asked for anything for himself from Abdullah who had claimed that he (Yong) was greedy.

He said issues raised by SAPP were strictly on the need to urgently tackle Sabah issues like illegal immigrants among others.

Yong also said that the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting that asked SAPP to explain their stand on the no-confidence motion, failed to discuss the problems of Sabah raised by the party but instead looked at ways to act against the party.

Questioning why SAPP was not invited to the meeting, Yong said that they had not received any letter from the Barisan headquarters.

On Musa’s claim that issues raised were being addressed, he said such issues like illegal immigrants were long overdue but the federal government says that it still needed time.

“Street kids have become adults ... law and order is a duty of the government,” he said.

Asked what he intended to do by moving a vote of no confidence against Abdullah, Yong said SAPP wanted a change in the political landscape as the Prime Minister was unable to come to grips with the situation of the food and energy crisis facing the country.

Asked if Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had given him a better offer during their meeting in Hong Kong and in Kuala Lumpur, Yong responded that his talks with Anwar was about Asian Renaissance and Asia.

“We also talked about the food crisis and other issues affecting the country as well as Sabah, particularly illegal immigrants and government matters,” he said.

“My mind is clear on what we want to achieve for the state and country,” said Yong who first confirmed his meeting with Anwar when announcing a motion of no confidence on Wednesday.

Saturday June 21, 2008

Leave Barisan, leaders tell SAPP

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) should pull out of Barisan Nasional instead of waiting to be expelled, the coalition’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.

Tengku Adnan, who is also Umno secretary-general, said the coalition was aware of what SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee was plotting.

“SAPP should get out rather than expect to be sacked. We know what this party is trying to do.

“They are trying to ask Barisan to sack them, then put the blame on us and use it as an excuse to join Anwar (PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), but we are looking at it in a positive way,” he told The Star.

“How can a party within Barisan call for a vote of no-confidence against the ruling coalition president and on top of that want to remain in it? They just endorsed Yong’s statement. It is not fair to Barisan. Why create such a problem?” he asked.

Asked about Barisan’s next move, Tengku Adnan said: “We can’t do anything.”

However, he said Barisan altogether had agreed not to allow SAPP to use the coalition for Yong’s own agenda.

In KUCHING, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said:

“You cannot sponsor or support a no-confidence motion against the government and yet say you are still a backbencher. You are with the government.”

MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said SAPP's move was against the principle and spirit of Barisan.

He said Barisan component parties should abide by the leadership of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and not move a vote of no confidence against him.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said:

“We cannot have them slap us on our face and still remain friends. In principle, you cannot remain in Barisan and move a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister who was democratically elected by the majority of the people.”

Sarawak United People’s Party organising secretary Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said SAPP “should be a gentleman and leave Barisan.”

“We must have a principle that if we are voted in by the people as a Barisan component, we should stay the course instead of defecting mid-way.”

Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk V.K. Liew said the only choice left for Barisan was to sack SAPP.

Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said SAPP’s action was disrespectful despite the fact that the Barisan supreme council had given the party a “second chance”.

In KOTA BARU, Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin said he believes that Yong has a personal agenda.

However, he said he was informed that several of the party’s supreme council members including its Youth wing had objected to the no-confidence move.