Berjaya not due to oil deal: Harris
Published on: Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Harris
Kota Kinabalu: Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh clarified that the formation of Parti Berjaya in 1975 was to restore democracy and not for the signing of the Petronas Agreement that decreed 5pc royalty to the petroleum producing states.He said the founding leaders of Berjaya took it upon themselves with much courage and real dangers to their own and their families’ safety to restore democracy to Sabah under the leadership of Tun Fuad Stephens and that the view expressed by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had belittled the founding leaders’ efforts.
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Harris said being the only surviving founding member of Berjaya he is obliged to set the record straight on the events and reasons leading to the founding of the party.
He said Tengku Razaleigh as the founding chairman and chief executive of Petronas should be the first person to know that the signing of the Petronas Agreement was an administrative matter in pursuant of the Petroleum Act already passed by Parliament in 1974, with the participation of Sarawak and Sabah representatives.
“Parliament is supreme in Malaysia. Sarawak which was then considered as the Senior State in East Malaysia with more MPs, had already signed the Petronas Agreement before Sabah,” he stressed. He was referring to a recent report where Tengku Razaleigh was quoted as saying that “Berjaya party was formed for the purpose of signing the Petronas Agreement”
Razaleigh
“Tengku Razaleigh’s comment on this matter, sad for me to say, shows that he was not in the know. (Then Prime Minister) Tun Razak must have deemed it appropriate not to take Tengku Razaleigh into his confidence on the formation of Berjaya. In any case, I take exception for what he has said,” Harris said, in a statement.
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On the formation of Berjaya, Harris said the party was formed by Sabah leaders led by Tun Fuad Stephens, Datuk James Ongkili, Pengiran Othman Rauf, Datuk Chong Thian Vun, Datuk Peter Mojuntin and himself to replace the Usno Government and to restore democracy.
He said the most important purpose was to prevent Malaysia from breaking up as there were elements within Usno who were seriously contemplating pulling Sabah out of Malaysia by a declaration of independence.
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He said this and other issues like external loan guarantees led to a serious misunderstanding between federal and state leaders.
“There were serious differences between the PM and CM.”
Usno at that time was led by Tun Mustapha and counted among his advisers individuals like Syed Kechik who, following his passing left an estate worth several hundred million ringgit, and which was disputed in court.
“It was at this critical juncture of Malaysian history that Berjaya was formed with overwhelming support from all Sabahans. Berjaya, just barely two months old, won a landslide election victory in 1976, restored freedom for Sabah, and preserved the sovereignty of Malaysia intact as one united nation.
“With due respect to Tengku Razaleigh, he has not been privy to all these developments leading to the formation of Berjaya.
“Otherwise, he would not have said that Berjaya had been formed for signing of the Petronas Agreement,” he said.
Tengku Razaleigh in the special interview in conjunction with Umno’s 74th anniversary, which went viral in social media, had said that it was not that easy with Sabah (to get the State sign the Petroleum Agreement) because the Sabah State Government, which was then led by late Tun Mustapha Harun as Chief Minister, did not agree to it (5pc payment to Sabah).
On a separate matter, Harris challenged both Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee and Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan to initiate court actions in Australia and Malaysia to legally force the respective governments to release the so-called “secret reports” on the 1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash.
“My challenge to them is simply this. Here is this golden opportunity for them to find out who has ‘sabotaged’ the Nomad plane. They should grab it.
“This they can do, by initiating court actions in Australia and Malaysia and subpoenaing the Sydney Morning Herald to give evidence and to legally force the respective governments to release the so-called ‘secret reports’ that Yong wants to get into his hands so badly.
“After all, he (Yong) has been obstinate to disbelieve the official reports of the Australian and Malaysian governments,” he said in a statement, in response to statements by Yong who is SAPP President and Dr Jeffrey, who is Star Sabah President, , pertaining to said crash, also known the “Double Six”, which he regarded as slanderous.
Yong is also a former CM while Dr Jeffrey is federal Assistant Tourism, Art and Culture Minister.
Harris said Yong exploited his sabotage conspiracy theory each year on the tragic accident for his own ulterior motives, never ever being able to produce evidence.
“Worst, he blamed the Malaysian and Australian governments for perpetuating ‘cover up’. Wanting to advantage himself politically, Dr Jeffrey has enjoined himself in his conspiracy.
“The golden opportunity has come for them to unravel their conspiracy theory right or they should forever shut up.
“If they are sincere and genuine, and I hope they are, they should act on the article of Sydney Morning Herald on the ‘Double Six’ accident which the Daily Express published on 7 June, 2020.
“Sydney Morning Herald is Australia’s oldest continuous newspaper and part of the Channel 9 TV group,” he said.
Harris said Yong has contended that Sabah’s history would be different if there was no Berjaya and “Double Six”.
“I cannot agree with him more. Berjaya has saved Sabah and Malaysia. Does he want to see a break-up of Malaysia?
“In addition, Berjaya in its nine years in government, had brought unprecedented economic progress, a record unsurpassed by any other Sabah government even to this day...I dare say without fear of contradiction that his records as a minister and as chief minister were a mere speck in comparison with Berjaya’s,” he said.
The tragedy killed all 11 people onboard a GAF N-22B Nomad of Sabah Air on June 6, 1976 in Kota Kinabalu, including then Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephen.
A probe involving the Australian GAF Nomad manufacturer and officials from the Australian Department of Transport was launched and completed some four months later but the full report was not made public.
Apart from Fuad, the crash also took the lives of Datuk Peter Mojuntin who was then Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister, Datuk Salleh Sulong (Sabah Finance Minister), Chong Thien Vun (Sabah Works and Communication Minister), Datuk Darius Binion (Assistant Minister to Deputy Chief Minister), Datuk Wahid Peter Andu (private secretary to the Sabah Finance Minister), Dr Syed Hussin Wafa (Director of State Economic Planning Unit), Datuk Ishak Atan (Private Secretary to Malaysian Federal Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah), Johari Stephens (Tun Fuad’s eldest son), Captain Ghandi Nathan (the pilot), and Corporal Said Mohammad (bodyguard to Tun Fuad).Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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