Bid to strip Mustapha’s perks
Published on: Saturday, March 19, 2022
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1981: Ex-Chief Minister Tun Datu Haji Mustapha (pic) will continue to enjoy police security for his residence and a personal police bodyguard despite the passage of a Bill in the State Assembly to repeal his special privileges.
Mustapha said he was assured on this by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Musa Hitam. He expressed gratitude to Musa for according him this privilege despite the Harris-led Berjaya Government’s move to scrap all special privileges he enjoyed after retiring as Chief Minister in 1975.
Mustapha said he was puzzled why the privileges were being repealed only now and not when Berjaya came to power in 1976.
DECEMBER 5
Stephens claims Indons in Sabah being armed
1963: Sabah Chief Minister Donald Stephens said Indonesians in Sabah are getting arms, ammunition and grenades from their homeland.
He cited the seizure by police in Tawau of rifles and
ammunition from incoming Indonesian cargo. Some 17,000 Indonesians were reported to be in Sabah then, mostly around Tawau.
Further Indon inflow had been stopped following the policy of confrontation adopted by the Sukarno Government against the Malaysia plan. Until that time, there were free entry and working conditions.
Stephens said there was little anti-Malaysia feeling among the Indonesians but that “Indonesian agents are at work.”
The Malaysian arms build-up in Sabah continued and the greatest point of tension was at Sebatik island, opposite Tawau, where several clashes were reported.
Stephens also said one of Sabah’s greatest problems was labour shortage and some 3,000 workers from outside the State were needed yearly. However, he said in future the State’s labour demand would come from other Malaysian states.
Pensiangan sports meet
Nov 8, 1918
The river and a nearby football field in Pensiangan were abuzz with activities - it was the district’s first official sports meet. The main events included a boat race competed in by 16 crews with six men each and a football match on a field laid out just a few days earlier. Pensiangan, a part of the Labuan and Interior Residency was made an administration centre in 1915.
Graduation ceremony for new tradesmen
Nov 11, 1976
The Sandakan Vocational School, set up initially as a Specialist Trade Centre in 1966, held a graduation ceremony for the first time in line with a new move to upgrade its courses.
The school offered courses in carpentry, furniture making, motor mechanics and electrical installation. The number and duration of courses were later increased.
Among the graduates were a batch of newly-qualified carpenters who had earlier put their skills to use, by constructing a three-classroom for a rural secondary school, SMK Bukit Garam.
Ambulance commissioned
Nov 11, 1953
The good relations among people of different religions even in pre-independence Sabah was reflected in the official commissioning of the first ambulance for the St John Ambulance Association in Tawau, when the vehicle was blessed by a priest and thereafter, an imam (Muslim cleric).
Tuaran mosque opened
Nov 11, 1967
The Tuaran mosque was declared open by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Mohd Said bin Keruak. The mosque was built at a cost of $55,000.
Radio Sabah debuts
Nov 9, 1955
The studios of Radio Sabah went into operation, with 19 hours of evening broadcasts per week. There was quick progress from then on, with the first outside broadcast, apart from the horse races, in September the following year with the relaying of proceedings at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference direct from the Jesselton Community Centre.
Tempasuk Bridge opened
Nov 10, 1962
The 380-feet long Tempasuk Bridge in Kota Belud was declared open by the Governor, Sir William Goode. The bailey bridge was believed to be the longest of its kind in South-East Asia. It replaced the ferry service across the Tempasuk River. The bridge was jointly built by the Public Works Department and British and Australian army engineers and soldiers.
Bus service launched
Nov 11, 1979
The Minister of Local Government and Housing, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, launched the now-defunct minibus service of the Tambunan District Council.
Pairin hoped that the service would provide a dependable means of transportation for students and villagers.
First karate black belter
Nov 9, 1968
Mr Michael Chin Khen Nyap became the first locally-trained Sabahan to get a “nidan” or second dan black belt in karate, four years after getting the first dan.
New name for Jesselton supported
Nov 9, 1967
The revival of a proposal to change the name of Jesselton to “Kota Kinabalu” received good support from the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Sir Michael Walker. He expressed his support when speaking to newsmen upon arrival in Jesselton with Lady Walker, for an official visit to Sabah.
US envoy came visiting
Nov 12, 1959
The US Consul-General in Singapore, Mr William P. Maddox, arrived in Jesselton for an official visit. The three British Borneo territories were part of his area of jurisdiction.
Sabah’s ex-policemen given own building
Nov 8, 1978
A building donated by the State Government to the Ex-Policemen’s Association of Malaysia, Sabah division, was declared open by the Head of State, Datuk Mohamad Adnan Robert.
The building, at the Sinsuran Complex, Kota Kinabalu, cost $415,800. The chairman of the Sabah division then was Mr Joseph Diego.
Malaysia Monument unveiled
Nov 14, 1963
The Head of State, Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun, declared open the Malaysia Monument at Jalan Charter, Jesselton. Among others present were Chief Minister Datuk Donald Stephens and Sabah Chinese Association, Jesselton branch chairman, Mr Francis Chia.
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