Yong to pursue EC report and sanctity of constitution if elected

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah-based opposition Gabungan Sabah (GS) will move a motion of no-confidence against whoever is the next Prime Minister if he fails to fulfil his constitutional duty to Sabah by not tabling the latest Election Commission (EC) report in the post-election Parliament.

GS’ partner Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee, one of the candidates vying for the Kota Kinabalu Parliamentary seat, promised this when filing his appeal against the High Court’s decision to strike out their legal action against the Prime Minister and Election Commission, Thursday.

“If elected MP, I will make sure of that in the first session of Parliament, “Yong, a former Chief Minister, said. SAPP is contesting in one Parliamentary seat in GE14 fielding Yong who was a former Member of Parliament for Gaya, now split into Sepanggar and Kota Kinabalu.

Stressing that it (no-confidence) was not a threat, Yong said he is positive about winning the Kota Kinabalu Parliamentary seat going by his analysis of the parties contesting, their candidates, their campaigning momentum and the response of the public.

“It remains the constitutional duty of the new Prime Minister to respect the Sabah Constitution and people by tabling the EC report and thus increasing the Sabah State Assembly to 73 seats (from 60)” he said.

Yong and other plaintiffs said they disagreed with High Court judge Justice Azhahari Kamal Ramli who had on April 23 dismissed their legal action seeking the court’s order that the Prime Minister be compelled to table the EC’s report on the 13 new Sabah State Assembly seats in Parliament.

The plaintiffs were heartened that the judge however agreed with the groups contention that the Prime Minister had no discretion of not tabling the EC report on the 13 additional Sabah Assembly seats as it was deemed mandatory as spelt out under Section 9 of the 13th Schedule of the Constitution.

Justice Azhahari in dismissing the plaintiffs’ legal action, held that they had no locus standi to do so and that the issue was academic since Parliament had been dissolved on April 28.

Yong explained: “We strongly believe that is not the case.

As registered voters and citizens of Sabah, we have the right to protect the sanctity of the Sabah Constitution, the honour of the Sabah Legislative Assembly and the dignity of the Sabah people.

“And although Parliament has been dissolved the issue is not an academic exercise as a new Parliament is to be elected on May 9,” he said.

04/05/2018 Daily Express by David Thien