Malaysia total rejection of Sulu claim must be resolute - Yong

KOTA KINABALU - A former Chief Minister wants Putrajaya to clarify reports that Malaysia is willing to entertain the idea of the possible inclusion of Sabah (and Sarawak) into the proposed Bangsamoro republic.

Datuk Yong Teck Lee, quoting a Philippines Star newspaper report, said a Malaysian emissary met with the secretary general of the Sulu Sultanate, and reported their stand that the Sulu Sultanate has proprietary rights over the disputed territories (of Sabah and Sarawak).

He claimed that the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) had received a formal invitation from an emissary of the Malaysian government "for exploratory talks on the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak into the Bangsamoro republic."

“While I do not think for a moment that the Malaysian government is so mad as to give up Sabah, there is reason to worry that our officials might have sent a dangerously ambiguous message to the MNLF and other Moro groups that Malaysia is softening its stand on the Philippines/Sulu claim on Sabah.

"It is likely that MNLF and so-called Sulu sultanate officials will now spread the word that they (MNLF and Sulu Sultan) are going to succeed in their claim over Sabah in their propaganda war. Already, Sabah appears in some Filipino maps,” he said.

He believed such a wrong signal was possibly sent out by Malaysian bumbling bureaucrats.

Yong said Malaysia total rejection of the Philippines/Sulu claim on Sabah must be resolute, unambiguous and firm and backed by solid actions on the security, economic and diplomatic fronts.

“But, instead of being clear and firm, the Malaysian government seems to have sent a disastrously wrong signal to the Philippines that Malaysia is willing to entertain the idea of the possible inclusion of Sabah (and Sarawak) into the proposed Bangsamoro republic," he said Tuesday.

Yong warned that the consequences of mishandling the Philippines/Sulu claim on Sabah is much more severe and long lasting.

Yong who is also president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) also warned that this perceived softening of Malaysia's stand on the Philippine claim will re-energise the millions of Filipinos in the Southern Philippines, especially the Moros, that they have a chance of gaining Sabah.

“Any slight hint of success in their Sabah claim will embolden Filipinos, raise their false hopes and re-ignite cross border crimes. If this happens, it will be Sabahans who will have to pay a heavy price in time to come,” he added.

Source: http://wikisabah.blogspot.com/2015/05/malaysia-total-rejection-of-sulu-claim.html

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‘Tuaran police seem well prepared for arrest of SSKM activists’

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 2, 2015: Police seemed to be well prepared for the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) activists, judging from the backup and food for their long night of work.

“It was as though they (police) were expecting us. They had the FRUs (Federal Reserve Unit), ambulance and oddly, catered food,” Sabah Sarawak Union (UK) member Milin Biok told The Rakyat Post, adding that it was the first time they had any problem with the “authority”.

Although he was not one of them, Milin said the nine arrested were part of volunteers going around to collect signatures for a petition, established by the Sabah Sarawak people.

“This petition is an outcry over the injustice towards Sabah and Sarawak because for 51 years, the two states was sidelined compared to Malaya states,” he said.

He said they were calling for the review of the Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

However, Milin declined to elaborate furthermore the issues, adding that their teams of lawyers would be sitting soon to discuss on their next cause of action.

“We will come out with an official statement soon to stop all these speculations,” he said.

The nine Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) activists were detained for several hours at the Tuaran district police headquarters for questioning on Sunday.

It was learnt that they were nabbed while soliciting signatures for a petition seeking the secession of Sabah at the weekly tamu (open market) in Tuaran about 10am.

Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, who was called by the nine to be their legal counsel and to bail them out, said he was informed of their detention about 1.30pm, and saw FRU personnel stationed at the main gate.

“We arrived there about 3pm and by that time, a crowd of some 50 people were already waiting at the gate,” said the Sabah Progressive Party president.

He alleged that the police had called for an ambulance to be on stand-by near the police station due to concerns that the huge turnout would turn ugly.

Yong said at 5.10pm, 18 people were asked to be guarantors, two for each detainee, and that the nine were released about 6.20pm.

Veteran Sabah politician Datuk James Ligunjang, who also came to the activists’ rescue, said Yong and himself had volunteered to be among the guarantors.

“I heard rumours that I was among the nine; it is indeed incorrect.

“I went to Tuaran because I was told that some.of the activists had worn the Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia (Respect the Malaysian Agreement) T-shirt, which I initiated as part of my campaign to gain people’s support for the review of the five decades old agreement,” he said.

Ligunjang said the activists, whom he described as “passionate Sabahans”, are expected to report to the Tuaran police station on Feb 13.

“Are we going to sue the police? For now, we cannot decide … we will cross the bridge once we get there,” he said.

Sabah State Reform Party (Sabah Star) chief Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan meanwhile expressed disappointment over the activists’ arrest, adding that the heavy presence of enforcers showed an inability to deal with such a situation.

“The activists were just voicing out the people’s grouses. This is probably their last resort after all past efforts had gone to deaf ears.

“Promises after promises from the federal government; that they will listen and consider what East Malaysians want, yet nothing is done,” he said.

Kitingan said the authorities seem to be practising favouritism.

“The police should be arresting those issuing identification cards to illegal immigrants, or maybe (Perkasa president) Datuk Ibrahim Ali who is obviously inciting people and who always comes up with controversial statements.”

He added that the authorities’ recent actions might backfire as it would encourage more rallies in the future.

Source: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/02/tuaran-police-seem-well-prepared-arrest-sskm-activists/#ixzz3QhSgBPpq

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UPDATED : Tuaran Tamu Campaign – Nine With SSKM Links Detained,Seditious Pamphlets Seized.

Tuaran : Police confirmed that they arrested nine persons aged between 24 to 50 believed to be link to the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) at the tamu ground in Tuaran sunday morning.

Sabah OCCI SAC Sallehudin Abdul Rahman told reporters at the Tuaran Police station Sunday evening,they are being investigated under the Seditious Act.

Sallehudin,also said Police believe the group had links with the SSKM as they were distributing pamphlets of a seditious nature.He did not elaborate.

The group,some of them attired in traditional costumes,had also approached tamu shoppers to sign a petition for Sabah rights.

All nine were released on Police bail just before 6 pm on a police bail of RM 2000 each undeposited with two sureties.

Sallehudin said further investigations are underway and investigation papers will be sent to the attorney general’s office for further action.

Earlier nine youths were detained by Police and were held at the Tuaran Police Station for allegedly wearing t-shirts with the alphabet’s SSKM- on the front.

They were picked up at the Tuaran tamu grounds around 9 am Sunday.As word on their arrest got around,a group of people,mainly SAPP supporters led by former Chief Minister Datuk Yong Tack Lee turned up at the station but were refused entry.

A light strike force unit was seen ten meters from the gate where Yong and his people were locked out.

Yong who said he was there since 3 pm,said a Police officer told them the youths would be released by 5 pm.At around that time,a Senior officer with the name tag Solihin allowed 18 of those outside the station to enter.

They were supposed to bail out those detained.Also seen outside the Police station were SAPP Vice-President Amde Sidek and former assemblyman James Ligunjang.

Former Tuaran MP Kalakau Untol turned up shortly after 5 pm to lend his support.He claimed the youths who were detained were on a signature campaign.

Source: http://sabahkini.com/youths-detained-by-tuaran-police/

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Youths Detained By Tuaran Police

FLASH……….Nine youths have been detained by Police and are being held at the Tuaran Police Station for allegedly wearing t-shirts with the alphabet’s SSKM- Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia,on the front.

They were picked up at the Tuaran tamu grounds around 9 am Sunday.As word on their arrest got around,a group of people,mainly SAPP supporters led by former Chief Minister Datuk Yong Tack Lee turned up at the station but were refused entry.

A light strike force unit was seen ten meters from the gate where Yong and his people were locked out.

Yong who said he was there since 3 pm,said a Police officer told them the youths would be released by 5 pm.At around that time,a Senior officer with the name tag Solihin allowed 18 of those outside the station to enter.

They were supposed to bail out those detained.Also seen outside the Police station were SAPP Vice-President Amde Sidek and former assemblyman James Ligunjang.

Former Tuaran MP Kalakau Untol turned up shortly after 5 pm to lend his support.He claimed the youths who were detained were on a signature campaign.

Source: http://sabahkini.com/youths-detained-by-tuaran-police/

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Former CM questions why so few Sabah teachers are being posted to own state

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 29, 2015: Only 10% of newly-graduated Sabah teachers are returning home to serve the state.

Former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said this could be taken as disrespect by the federal government of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

“The revelation by Education Department Datuk Jame Alip that only 64 out of the 598 new teachers arriving in Sabah this month are Sabahans shows that the Education Ministry has thrown the Malaysia Agreement 1963 into the dustbin,” he said in a statement.

The Sabah Progressive Party president said the Malaysia Agreement was explicit in stipulating that the Borneonisation of the civil service was a binding obligation on the Malaysian government.

Yong lamented that the government was speeding up the complete “Malaysianisation” of the civil service in Sabah, especially in education and religion for “whatever hidden agenda”.

He was also unhappy with the posting of more religious teachers to Chinese and mission schools in Sabah.

“The proper places for this large number of religious teachers is at religious schools and not normal schools.”

He said the latest posting of a large numbers of religious teachers to non-religious schools gave rise to legitimate concern of a hidden religious and political agenda.

Source: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/01/29/former-cm-questions-sabah-teachers-posted-state/#ixzz3QMTZfJ7u

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Yong Teck Lee wins appeal; gets refund and costs

By Ranau Sativa

KOTA KINABALU: The Court of Appeal here today allowed with costs an appeal by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and its President Datuk Yong Teck Lee to set aside the High Court’s verdict for ordering SAPP and Yong to pay Tan Sri Harris Salleh RM1 million in damages for defamation over the “Double Six” tragedy that killed the then Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and ten others on board of a crashed Nomad aircraft on June 6, 1976.

Justice Datuk Linton Albert, who sat together with Justices Dato’ Anantham Kasinather and Dato’ Seri Zakaria Sam, unanimously allowed the appeal with RM150,000 costs to be paid to the appellant.

The court also ordered Harris, who was the respondent, to refund the entire amount which had been paid by the appellant to him within two weeks.

The High Court judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli had on February 29, 2012, ordered SAPP and Yong to pay Harris RM1 million in damages for allegedly insinuating that he (Harris) was involved in causing the “Double Six” Tragedy that killed Fuad Stephens and 10 others on board the Sabah Air plane about 37 years ago in Sembulan.

In his judgment, Abdul Rahman held that Yong had “crossed the line” when he insinuated that Harris had “blood on his hand” though, he added, there was nothing wrong for Yong to call for a re-investigation of the air crash.

He also found that the use of the words “crime” and “assassination” by Yong were defamatory to Harris and had provoked speculation that Harris knew in advance that something sinister was going to happen to the aircraft and that he had left Tun Fuad Stephens to die so that he could take over as the chief minister of Sabah.

Harris had filed the suit on June 6, 2011, against SAPP and Yong through his counsel Yunof Maringking, claiming general damages, aggravated and exemplary damages of not less than RM50 million from Yong who was named as first defendant and SAPP as the second defendant.

He is also sought an injunction to restrain the defendants, whether by themselves or their servants or employee or agents from printing and publishing further, the statements and similar libel in any form or means.

Yong was represented by counsel Datuk Simon Shim.

Source: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/11/18/yong-teck-lee-wins-appeal-gets-refund-and-costs/

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Sedition Act won’t scare East Malaysian secessionists

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 27, 2014: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s decision to retain the Sedition Act is seen as threatening East Malaysian groups calling for secession.

Former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee however said Najib and the government’s threat, will not work as the people were no longer afraid to fight for their rights.

The Umno president, Yong said, must first understand why some people were calling for secession.

The Sabah Progressive Party president said Najib’s credibility has been affected by the retention of the Sedition Act.

Previous threats, Yong noted, have also come from Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

“I believe there is no effect on the sentiments for Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) because the underlying issues and causes of secession are not being addressed,” he told The Rakyat Post.

SSKM is administered by a Sabahan, Doris Jones, who was dubbed as a disgruntled person.

He said so far, Sabah’s leaders tried to sweep the issues under the carpet or simply claim that secessionist feelings were only among very few people.

Personally, Yong however did not rule out the secession call.

“When people feel that there is no solution to their genuine grievances within the Malaysian context, then the sentiments of secession will surge.”

He urged for the Act to be abolished as its biased enforcement has already discredited that law.

Yong argued that even if the Sedition Act is used against other people in future, it would be perceived as political or biased, especially in view of the prevalent complaint that extremists like Datuk Ibrahim Ali was not charged.

Calls were made for the fiery Perkasa chief to be charged under the Act after he called for Bibles containing the word “Allah” to be burned.

Talks of secession from Malaysia have cropped up in East Malaysia over the seemingly unfair treatment by the federal government towards the two states.

It is said that more East Malaysians are signing a petition calling for Sabah and Sarawak to leave Malaysia despite the threat of being charged with sedition.

Source: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/11/27/sedition-act-wont-scare-east-malaysian-secessionists/#ixzz3KHJ1zjAW

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Separation not secession

Yong Teck Lee says Sabahans are not secessionists or traitors. They only want separation from Malaysia.

KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee has said it is not right to label any movement in Sabah as “secessionist” because the state was historically not part of Malaya/Malaysia.

He thinks the term “separation” is more appropriate.

For example, Singapore separated, not seceded from Malaysia in 1965, he pointed out.

“We also reject any talk that Sabahans are traitors,” said Yong, who heads the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

“Sabahans are patriots who want to see a successful Malaysia that respects, recognises and upholds the letter, spirit and intent of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, without which there would be no Malaysia.”

The real traitors in the country, said Yong, are those who gave out MyKads to illegal immigrants, “fake” sultans who claim that Sabah belongs to them and extremists who divide Malaysia dangerously along racial and religious lines.

“It’s indicative of the sad state of the Malaysian Federation today when top federal leaders chose the Merdeka week to issue threats against Sabahans for being so-called secessionists,” he said.

He said that after 51 years of federation with the peninsula, Sabahans were no longer cowed by such threats.

To threaten Sabahans with arrests would only harden their resolve as they already see no solution within the Malaysia context, he added.

“There’s no apparent effort by the Federal Government to resolve the issues that drive Sabahans to cry for separation from the peninsula,” said Yong. “There’s a need to understand this cry for separation and solve the grievances of Sabahans.”

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/09/04/separation-not-secession/

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