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PRESS
RELEASE
IN
KOTA KINABALU, 9 SEPTEMBER 1998
ONGKILI
: FULFILL SABAH BARU PROMISES RATHER THAN ENGAGING IN DUBIOUS
DEBATE
KOTA
KINABALU, Wed.- Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) today called on
the Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) government to concentrate its
efforts in fulfilling the Sabah Baru promises rather than engaging
in dubious public debates that do not benefit the people of Sabah.
Its
deputy president Dr Maximus Ongkili, said in a statement today many
State government leaders did not have anything better to do other
than just talking and participating in a so-called public debate
of questionable significance essentially intended to divert attention
away from more pertinent problems facing the government.
He
was commenting on the prolonged publicity given to the preparation
of the so-called public debate between former chief minister Datuk
Yong Teck Lee and Bersekutu regarding past matters of the Sabah
Foundation.
Dr
Ongkili claimed there were more pressing problems confronting the
Sabah people that the government ought to address instead of getting
involved in a public debate that would not lead to solution of the
people's hardships.
"Where
are the fulfillment of the Sabah Baru promises of 100-days development,
no poverty, no illiteracy, a house for every Sabahan and other goodies?
What is the government doing to solve the State's economic and financial
crisis, high prices of goods, rural poverty, continuing shortage
of food in the interior, clogged drains in urban areas, and impending
damages to be caused by La Nina?" he asked.
"Surely
these are the real problems that should be solved by cabinet ministers
and the government rather than engaging in the political gimmick
of public debate," he further stressed.
The
Bandau member of parliament noted that most of the present State
cabinet were ministers in the PBS government and many served as
trustees of Yayasan Sabah and therefore should know better if there
were indeed concerns about the foundation's finances at that time.
"Even
during the present BN government's term, four chief ministers have
served as chairman of the Yayasan Sabah Board of Trustees, how come
only now they are talking about abnormalities in the foundation's
annual accounts?" he queried.
Dr
Ongkili said these facts confirmed that the BN leaders had questionable
intentions in publicly raising the issue, making reports to the
relevant authorities, and participating in so-called public debate.
He
added that if the government and other parties wanted to discuss
the foundation's past accounts, the State Assembly is the best venue
to professionally debate the matter, stressing that "public debates
of such kind are waste of time for everybody and serve no purpose
at all."
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