Yong: Political lies were taken as complete truth

By Datuk Yong Teck Lee

In the past, I did not bother about political lies spread about me like the Saham Amanah Sabah (SAS issue, the approvals of the 65,000 acres Begaraya land in Pitas and the Tanjong Aru Government Quarters land to private companies. In the internet and coffee shops, lies were spread against me for so long that the lies were taken as complete truths. But as wisdom goes, real gold is not afraid of fire and paper cannot cover fire.

So, now, finally we are beginning to see the end of the falsehood about SAS against me even though the BN government and their PBS cohorts refuse to reveal the truths to the people. The people who know the truths about SAS are still in Sabah State Cabinet. For instance, Deputy Chief Minster Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai is guilty of cover up, lies and misleading the people. I have said this several times and Dr. Yee never denied his guilt. If he does deny, then he should sue me for calling him a big liar.

The high profile contests by villagers over the Begaraya land have led to the government revealing that the approval for the Begaraya land was given on 19 March 1996; two months before I became Chief Minister under the CM rotation system at the time. Then, recently, a court case has allowed the exposure that the Tanjong Aru land approval to a private company was given on 25 May 1996, two days before I became CM on 28 May 1996. I do not wish to speculate on the timing and urgency of the approvals by my precedessor, before the power to approval was transferred to Cabinet on 17 June 1996.

Today, in a local newspapers, another ex-Chief Minster, Datuk Harris Mohd. Salleh, said that "Sabah Foundation Shares were taken away by the Barisan Nasional State Government. Datuk Yong Teck Lee was the then Chief Minister," Datuk Harris claimed.

In fact, the YS shares were withdrawn by the PBS administration in 1990 just prior to the State elections that year when YS shares were replaced by the Amanah Rakyat Negeri Sabah (ARNS). I now produce the book published by Datuk Harris in 1996 whereby Datuk Harris wrote that it was the PBS government who withdrew the (YS) share certificates.

This fact was stated three times in the same book. So, Datuk Harris cannot claim that he is not aware that it was not me, as Chief Minster from 28 May 1996 to 27 May 1998, but it was PBS, in 1990, who withdrew the YS Shares. At the time, before the State elections of 1990, I was an assistant minister, not even a full cabinet minister.

Ask why did Harris made such statement, he said he could have been mistaken.

In the case of ARNS, it was a new Fund set up under the Amanah Rakyat Negeri Sabah Enactment 1990, passed by the Legislative Assembly on 15 March 1990 and assented to by the TYT on 31 March 1990. It was this ARNS that disbursed the RM200 to each YS beneficiary using the Yayasan Sabah management and network.

For the information of the public, the accounts of the ARNS distribution of RM200 per head, the accounts could not be audited. As far as I can recall, the Cabinet in about 1997 (when I was CM) was informed that there were audit queries over missing monies and possible fraudulent payments to unqualified or non-existent persons. 

I had asked YS management to lodge police reports. Whatever is the status of the ARNS and YS Share certificates today, I trust that the current administration can satisfy public curiosity. I can only answer for things done by me as Chief Minister.

Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Chief Minister 28 May 1996 to 27 May 1998