Sabah DAP ready to face Harris in debate
Published on: Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah DAP Chief Jimmy Wong (pic) has accepted the challenge by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh to a public debate on the issues of Malaysia Agreement, 20-Points and the Oath Stone."Of course I am more than ready to take up the challenge. Now everything is ready, and we are ready to take on any challenge," he said, when asked to comment on the challenge by Harris through the Daily Express on Monday. Harris had challenged DAP leaders to a public debate in order to "clear once and for all the status and standing of" the Malaysia Agreement, 20-Points and Batu Sumpah. According to Harris, the Malaysia Agreement and 20-Points were no longer legally binding because most of their provisions have been incorporated into the Malaysian Constitution while the Batu Sumpah remained a symbolic historical fact.
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In this respect, Wong asked what is Harris' locus standi to debate on the issue of Batu Sumpah. "You are not an Orang Asal and the Orang Asal are asking 'who you are representing'. You are an ex-Chief Minister, you have gone through the Batu Sumpah ritual and you attended the ceremony as a Cabinet member. You were the Deputy Chief Minister at that time. "Why are you now saying it is not significant and not relevant?" he asked."We are not afraid of you, we are ready but we want you to bring along BN leaders like Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Datuk Seri Musa Aman and also Huguan Siou Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to the debate."If you can bring along the BN leaders then you have a standing. Otherwise you are wasting time. I think Harris should organise the debate and do it in Keningau where the Batu Sumpah ritual took place," he said.
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"Are you going to represent BN? You must qualify your stand," said Wong.DAP Sabah Secretary Dr Edwin Bosi said they did not want to be limited by Harris' request to debate only on a few issues.
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"We would also like to talk about the Double Six incident," he said, referring to the June 6, 1976 Nomad air crash that wiped out half the freshly-minted Berjaya State Cabinet of Tun Fuad Stephens, and which paved the way for Harris' ascendancy to the CM post.Meanwhile, DAP Sabah is adamant about inviting National Vice Chairperson and Member of Parliament for Seputeh, Terasa Kok, to attend its annual Chinese New Year open house on Feb 21 here.Dr Bosi said they would be writing to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman to have the ban temporarily lifted. "This is for the sake of the Chinese New Year which is celebrated by all Malaysians and we don't see why a Malaysian like Teresa Kok who is also a law maker cannot come to Sabah for that reason."She is not going to make any problem for the government. She comes to enjoy the celebration with Sabahans," he said.Bosi also said to be fair to all those who are barred from entering the State, the government should have informed them earlier so that their time is not wasted travelling to Sabah only to find out that they cannot enter and have to leave on the next available flight.He said that if the State Government was really strong and confident it should not have to resort to banning any individual from coming into Sabah."But if you are a weak government and afraid of something, this is what you do, you ban people from coming in."The law with regards to banning people from entering Sabah is very clear, only those who are extremists and trouble makers should not be allowed into the state as these are people who create disharmony, disunity, affecting the peace in the country."These are the people you must focus on and not allow in," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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