Kota Kinabalu: It is high time to lift the ban on “The Golden Son of the Kadazan”, a book on Datuk Peter Monjuntin’s political life, as it deserves due recognition and shared with the world.
Upko Deputy President Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin said it was nonsensical for a book that merely highlights the political journey of one of Sabah’s premier leaders to be suppressed in such a way.
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“There are books that are even more controversial, yet they are out there. Why must this be banned?
“If you have read it, which is available online by the way, there is nothing much in it except for factual things.
Maybe at one point in time there were matters that would have made some people uncomfortable. But when we read it, the book is not like that at all,” he said.
He said now is the opportune time to request the ban be lifted, as Malaysia is under a Madani Unity Government which champions for inclusivity.
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“Under Malaysia Madani, there is more tolerance and understanding as well as efforts to integrate diverse races across Malaysia.
“It’s very conducive to ask to lift the ban on the book,” he said.
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The former Senator said the book was written by Bernard Sta Maria and he did not write this book without doing research. “It does not deserve to be banned,” he told reporters after a commemoration ceremony of the Double Six tragedy at the Datuk Peter Mojuntin Memorial Park, here, Tuesday.
Donald’s wish is for every Sabahan to have a chance to own the physical copy of the book and for it to be available in Sabah’s libraries.
“As a son to Datuk Peter, the book inspires me to fight for Sabah’s good.
“The most important thing is (through the book), the younger generation will start to gain interest in what Sabah is about, how the leaders were like before and gain some inspiration out of it,” he said.
Upko Penampang launched a petition to lift the ban on the book in April.
“I hope this initiative can be extended to other districts. Perhaps they can start their own petition and we can band together to collect as many signatures as possible.
The more we have, the stronger we would be and bring it to the Federal Government,” said Donald.
Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok echoed similar sentiments.
“There really is no reason why it should not be lifted because the contents of the book, a story of a bygone age, are things that are already talked about.
“I do not see any reason at all in not wanting to open the book and honor the early parliamentarians and leaders of this country,” he said.
“The Golden Son of the Kadazan” was banned on June 22, 1978 under the now-repealed Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960.
It was reported that the ban on the book was maintained as the then government deemed the book to be threatening to the country’s interest and security.
The Daily Express’ award winning team of journalists presents ‘Double Six: The Untold Stories’, a documentary on the plane crash in Sabah (East Malaysia) killing the newly-elected Chief Minister of Sabah Tun Mohd Fuad Stephens, four state ministers and six others on June 6th, 1976.
After 46 years the findings of the crash also known to many as The Double Six Tragedy have not been disclosed.
Note: This series unravels information not previously available to the public, but does not in any way attribute blame for the crash on any party.
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