PITAS, Fri. - Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has lodged a second police report on the reclassification of the Banggi First Class Forest Reserve, claiming it has received new information which showed that area was in fact awarded to a company eight months before the reclassification was approved by the state assembly in August 1996.

PBS deputy president Dr Maximus Ongkili made the report at the Kota Marudu district police station at 4.30pm yesterday and handed over a set of documents which he reported were sent anonymously to him the day before.

He made the report after officiating the opening of the annual general meeting (AGM) of the PBS Bengkoka division in Kampung Bilangau Kecil near here. He was accompanied by party deputy president Datuk Wong Phin Chung, vice-president Dahil Masdik and nominated assemblyman Jahid Jahim.

Earlier while officiating the AGM, Dr Ongkili explained that he received a set of documents which gave further proof that abuse of power and illegality were committed by government decision makers in reclassifying the Banggi Forest Reserve from Class I to Class II.

"Based on the documents received, the government in fact awarded the 11,000 hectares of Class I forest reserve to a company named Rosolic Corporation Sdn Bhd on 15 January 1996. This is about eight months before the state assembly approved the reclassification during its sitting in August 1996.

"The approval and award of the area to Rosolic Corporation Sdn Bhd was then revoked on 17 May 1996 and the area given to another company called Peak Profile Sdn Bhd as reported by PBS to the relevant authorities after the assembly sitting last June", he said.

The Bandau member of parliament further alleged that a serious abuse of power was committed in approving the forest reserve to Rosolic Corporation Sdn Bhd.

"In their letter of application, Rosolic Corporation claimed that 40% of the company’s shareholding was owned by Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS). The letter was even supported and endorsed by a particular cabinet minister.

"Our information is that MUIS had nothing to do with the company and therefore the applicant’s claim of MUIS’ shareholding was false and unfounded. This means that MUIS was used merely as a tool to acquire the forest reserve.

"These facts further confirm our stand that the reclassification of the Banggi forest reserve had bad motives and that the state assembly was misled by the government in approving the Bill", he alleged.

Meanwhile, Dr Ongkili also called on chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee to inform the Sabah public what action he had taken against members of the administration who had committed wrong-doing in the reclassification of the Banggi forest reserve.

"When PBS raised the issue of abuse of power and misleading the assembly during the Dewan sitting last June, Datuk Yong promised that "he would initiate action against the wrongdoers and that there would be no cover-up" but thus far nothing has been done. This could be another case of mere lip service and no action", he claimed.

Dr Ongkili called the relevant authorities to hasten the investigations on the Banggi forest reserve case and to take stern action on the wrongdoers, "consistent with the Prime Minister’s call to wage war against corruption in Malaysia and punish those who are corrupt irrespective of their public positions".

He also urged the people of Banggi to demand that the island’s 11,000 hectares of forest reserve wrongfully declassified by the BN government be reinstated as a Class I forest reserve to protect their water catchment areas, preserve rare fauna and flora, and conserve the forests for their children’s heritage.