SAPP wants online blog reporter investigated for slander

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has lodged a police report calling the police to investigate Free Sandakan Today (FST) Shaimon Sarmon Jumadi over a statement posted in Facebook which allegedly intented to smear and portray party president Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee in bad light with the intention to humiliate and bring him and the party in disrepute before the impending General Election 14 which will be held this year.

SAPP Supreme Councillor John Stephen, accompanied by few youth members of the party, lodged the police report at the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters at Karamunsing here yesterday.

‘This was yet another statement made by irresponsible persons to falsely accuse and imply that SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the party were involved in million ringgit of bribes during General Election 13 with UMNO/BN to split votes in order to sabotage the Pakatan Harapan chances to form the State Government.

Not only that, malicious accusations were made by this individual in effort to smear and insult the party members and its president's reputation. The statement alluded to him has hurt thousands of the party members, John said.

He also sought the police to called upon and investigate the sub-editor who is believed to be behind the viral circulation of the slanderous report headlined “GABUNGAN PEMBANGKANG SABAH TOLAK SHAFIE” circulated in the social media in FACEBOOK and other WHATSAPP groups.

According to John, the Gabungan Sabah(USA) has openly invited Party Warisan to join the pact but until now they have yet to respond.

‘The unethical deed and irresponsible act by the individual should not have been made”, said John, adding that it smacks of an attempt at political assassination to bury SAPP and its president's political career forever.

John said a precedent was set when Junz Wong Jun Han, a former DAP Youth Chairman and Likas Assemblyman and now a vice president of Party Warisan was sued for defamation by SAPP and its president Datuk Yong Teck Lee, of which he later admitted his lie and publicly apologized in 2014.

The apology was a defamation which Junz Wong spread during the last General Elections through the social media Facebook account that Yong had worked a RM50 million bribe deal with UMNO/BN, a vicious and dirty tactic to achieve their political agenda.

He said the action by some quarters in trying to smear the party will not hinder the members to be stronger in facing the coming General Election.

"We are here to fight for Sabah and will continue to pursue to protect Sabah interest under the banner of Gabungan Sabah with regards to Malaysia Agreement 1963," he said.