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No justification for S'kan site: Yong

Kota Kinabalu: Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) must urgently embark on non-coal power options rather than forcing the people in Sandakan into accepting the coal-fired power plant in their area, urged the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

Its President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said recent statements made by elected representatives and other officials in Sandakan conveyed the impression that the Sandakan people would be forced by the prospect of severe power blackouts by year 2011 to grudgingly accept the coal power plant.

"If so, such a crude way to force the coal power plant on the people is highly irresponsible," he said in a Press conference at the party's headquarters, here, Tuesday.

He said the wide media coverage on climate change and the pollution of coal power in countries such as China has awakened Sabahans.

"Concerned citizens have come up with such convincing arguments against coal power that the State Government had to reject the proposed coal power plant in Lahad Datu on environmental grounds.

"The State Government's rejection of the Lahad Datu site in April this year has effectively made it illogical for anybody to justify Sandakan as a site.

Sandakan is only two hours' drive from Lahad Datu," he said.

Yong said clean coal technology could not have improved so dramatically ever since April.

"Presumably, the contract signed by TNB with China contractors early this year is still the same one. Nothing has changed; so how can it be that what is bad for the Lahad Datu environment is good for the Sandakan environment?" he asked.

According to him, SAPP had conducted research and studies of its own with the help of an expert, Dr Yeo Hock Huat, together with Luyang Assemblywoman, Melanie Chia, and had come up with several proposals for the State and Federal governments to consider.

Dr Yeo, a Sabahan who used to work in Penang and the United States in the field of energy-related technology, has published more than 10 papers in international journals and conferences.

Among SAPP's proposals was for TNB to build a gas pipeline from Kimanis to Tawau via Sapulut, which is shorter by about 30 to 40 per cent than the 500km pipeline from Kimanis to Bintulu, hence less complicated and cheaper.

"If TNB insists on siting a power plant in the East Coast for reasons of security of supply in an 'islanded' network, then a gas pipeline from Kimanis to Tawau should be considered," he said.

Yong said it does not make sense for Petronas to pipe Sabah's natural gas 500km to Bintulu via a RM3 billion pipeline and then make Sabah import hydroelectric power from Sarawak.

"What is so difficult for Petronas to build the natural gas plant in Kimanis?" he asked.

Another proposal was to expedite the construction of the 200MW capacity Liwagu hydroelectric dam, which is ideally located in the middle of the East-West Grid interconnection as well as to fully utilise the existing under-used 275 kilovolts (kV) East West Grid for power transfer from the West Coast to the East Coast.

He said it was the duty of TNB to explain why none of these options is possible and similarly it is the responsibility of the State Government to ensure sufficient supply of electric supply without compromising the environment and the health of the people.

"The longer we wait the more time we will lose in these options," he said.

Yong said the disclosure by Sarawak Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Seri Awang Tengah Awang Ali Hassan on Oct 4 that talks were being held with Sabah on the possibility of purchasing energy from Sarawak showed there are viable alternatives to the proposed coal-fired power plant in Sandakan.

This option merits consideration since Sarawak is also expected to supply up to 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Brunei by 2013 by way of a transmission line from the 1000 MW Murum dam.

Therefore, SAPP feels strongly that TNB, the 80 per cent owner of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), has not sufficiently considered non-coal options before embarking on the proposed RM1.3 billion 300MW coal-fired power plant in the East Coast of Sabah.

He said TNB Chairman Tan Sri Leo Moggie had claimed in full-page advertisements in local newspapers in June this year that coal was "the only viable option for eastern Sabah", but by his own admission, said natural gas was more environment-friendly and faster to build than a coal power plant.

"Granted that solar power, wind power and bio-mass are not yet commercially viable, TNB has a basic duty to the people of Sabah to invest in hydroelectric power and natural gas energy," he stressed.

He said official publications of TNB and SESB showed they had advanced knowledge of the proposed combined cycle gas power plant in Kimanis.

They also had planned to construct the Liwagu and Upper Padas hydroelectric dams as well as the options to purchase electric power from the proposed hydropower dams at Lawas and Limbang in Sarawak.

"Yet TNB and SESB have been stubbornly engrossed with coal 'as the only viable option' for eastern Sabah," he said.

"How could it be that today Sandakan has become an option? If a coal-fired power plant is bad for Lahad Datu on environmental grounds, how could it be good for Sandakan, a neighbouring nature city?"

In admitting that coal is a polluter, TNB has relied on the assumption that the management of the coal power plant will be faultless and will strictly comply with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conditions. He said the people have every right to be sceptical on the enforcement of EIA conditions.

"When rivers are openly polluted, huge logs smuggled under the noses of the authorities, illegal immigrants roam glaringly on the streets, turtle eggs freely available in the Sandakan marketÉour public delivery system is so weak and maintenance culture so lacking, how can the people be expected to take the risks of a potentially disastrous coal power plant in their neighbourhood?" he asked.

Towards this end, he said irrespective of what the EIA might have to say, the SAPP believed the social impact of the coal-fired power plant would cause much distress and anxiety to Sandakan residents.

Besides, impact on the social-economic and tourism development of this future city would lead to a crisis of confidence on the ability of their government to protect and promote their interests and livelihood, he said.

Also on hand were Luyang Assemblywoman Melanie Chia, SAPP CLC (new) Chairman for Tanjung Papat Poon Kee Yang, CLC Chairman for Sekong constituency Datuk Tain Fook En and Dr Yeo.

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Hamid got it all wrong: SAPP

Kota Kinabalu: The notion that the Home Minister had "restored" or "granted" the citizenship of natives like in the case of Yong Lee Hua is "absolutely ridiculous".

He has no power to grant or take away the citizenship of a person who is a citizen by operation of law, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Saturday.

To suggest that locals, who apply for recognition of their status as citizens through MyKad applications, should understand that it is a "privilege" and not a "right" is completely wrong, said SAPP Deputy President Datuk Eric Majimbun.

In fact, he said it is the law that determines whether a local Sabahan is a citizen and it was agreed in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and the Federal Constitution that all Sabahans are citizens.

"When Sabah formed Malaysia in 1963 together with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore, it was expressly agreed that all Sabahans, whether native Sabahans or otherwise, shall be automatically entitled to citizenship of the Federation.

"This was inserted into the Malaysia Agreement and the amended Federal Constitution. Sabahans like Yong are, therefore, citizens by operation of law," he said.

"Even if a local Sabahan did not bother to obtain an identity card, he or she is still nonetheless a citizen by operation of law. After all, the identity card regulations do not govern citizenship status of a person.

"Identity cards originated as an emergency measure adopted during the Communist insurgency to weed out and identify subversives," he said in a statement.

Since then it has become a useful and convenient identity document.

The Sepanggar MP said for genuine citizens their status of citizenship cannot depend on the whim and fancy of the National Registration Department, if they decide to replace their MyKad with a MyPR card.

Majimbun said it was only where non-Malaysians were concerned that the Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, was right when saying that the application for PR or citizenship was a privilege.

"However, for Malaysians, it is an absolute right to obtain a MyKad that denotes citizenship," he said, commenting on the statement by the Home Minister on Friday.

Syed Hamid was reported as saying that "he had directed NRD to make it clear that applying for PR status and citizenship were not a right but a privilege."

He had earlier said that though there were 30,000 applications involving locals, he had decided to grant citizenship to Yong because it was a deserving case.

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Sabah is different, NRD told

Kota Kinabalu: The National Registration Department (NRD) should be more considerate on the plight of genuine Malaysians in Sabah who are facing citizenship problems, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Wanita Chief, Melanie Chia.

"NRD staff who are handling applications for citizenship by bona-fide Malaysians born in Sabah should understand the unique situation in Sabah.

"Until today, there are still people who give birth at home, especially in rural areas and many are ignorant of birth registration (due to illiteracy).

"They (NRD staff) should be more understanding and sympathetic towards their predicaments and be committed to helping them resolve their citizenship problem, instead of brushing them aside," she said.

She also hoped the the NRD like other government departments would come up with its own "client charter", in order to improve the quality of its service.

Melanie, who is also Luyang Assemblywoman, said this after a meeting with a group of Permanent Resident (PR) or red Identity Card (IC) holders on Wednesday.

The group said there were given red IC by the NRD despite the fact that they were born in Sabah even before the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

Melanie said most of the cases she encountered were due to PR not having a birth certificate.

Other than that, complications also arose due to the trend of native people adopting Chinese names during the colonial era in order to secure better employment, besides inter-marriages with other races or non-Bumiputeras.

The situation, she said, eventually affected their citizenship status.

In Wong Yun Moi @ Tihim case, she is a full-blooded Dusun from Papar.

She was born in Kg Togung, Menggatal in 1939 but later adopted her present Chinese name after she married her husband who is a Chinese from Papar in 1958. She was then identified as a Sino-Kadazan.

Initially, she did not face any problem with her citizenship despite not having a birth certificate till today because her parents did not register her birth.

She got her IC after the formation of Malaysia as well as the Sijil Anak Negeri (Native Certificate) in 1974 to acknowledge her "native" status.

But her problem started when she surrendered her old IC during a nationwide IC renewal exercise conducted by NRD in the early 80s.

When she collected her IC, it was no longer blue but red. She had tried all means to restore her citizenship but was unsuccessful.

She claimed that a staff at the NRD even told her that she should not be overly concerned about her red IC because she already possessed the Native Certificate.

But this proved to be a big problem when several years ago her family planned an overseas trip. Her application for an international passport was turned down because of complication in her citizenship status.

And the most puzzling was that Tihim who speaks fluent Dusun, Mandarin and Hakka, as attested by both Melanie and SAPP Youth Chief Edward Dagul during the interview with her, had been allowed to vote in the Kawang Constituency previous general elections despite being a red IC holder.

She was only unable to cast her vote in the last elections because her name is no longer Electoral Roll.

Tihim said the recent case Yong Lee Hua @Piang Lin whose citizenship was restored after her plight was widely reported by the media had given her hopes that she too could regain her Malaysian citizenship.

Melanie said she had received about 30 cases related to citizenship applications and promised to bring them up with the State NRD.

Putatan Centre Soft Opening Ceremony




Putatan Square (Nov 22, 2008): SAPP held its soft opening of the party’s first Putatan Centre at Putatan Square today at a simple ceremony marked by the planting of the SAPP flag at the centre by party advisor Datuk Haji Murshidi Nambi and attended by other advisors, members from Putatan, Supreme Councillors and the media.

The centre, taking over from what was previously the former Sabah BN head office, will be used for meetings, activities and briefings for members. The centre will be run by new members and volunteers led by Dullie Marie who was political secretary to then federal minister in the Prime Minister’s department, Tan Sri Pandekar Amin Hj. Mulia, from 1999 to 2004.
Amde Sidik joins Sapp





Academic and columnist Tuan Haji Amde Sidik, who hails from Sipitang, became a member of SAPP on the day that SAPP declared itself no longer a member of the Barisan Nasional on September 17. Age 56, Amde, who has written several books and lectures commercial law at a local university, is also a regular contributor to local, regional and international newspapers. SAPP is the first party that he has ever joined.

He explains his joining SAPP as “I believe SAPP as the only Sabah-based party which can really focus on solving many of Sabah’s problems. SAPP is going to be a full fledged multi-racial party which I consider in the long run to be where most Malaysians are heading to. At present, political parties are seen as racial political parties. Even today, SAPP is made to be seen as a race-based political party. In view of this perception, I am keen to participate to help out in shaping the multi-racial direction of the party as a way forward for Malaysians.”
Dullie Hj. Marie leads group into SAPP



Ex-political secretary to the then federal minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Dullie Haji Marie, is leading a group of individuals in the Putatan area to join Party Maju Sabah. Speaking to reporters at the soft opening of the SAPP Putatan Centre today, he said that “his joining of SAPP was because he believes in its struggle and leadership. SAPP as a multi-racial Sabah-based party will provide an alternative to the people. This is the situation that the people have been waiting for so long. Sabahans actually demand for their autonomy and other rights enshrined in the 20-point agreement. Now the people have the opportunity and SAPP will provide them the avenue to decide their future.”

Previously, he was a member of Party AKAR until when the party dissolved on May 21, 2001. Four years later, he joined UMNO. Recently he relinquished his UMNO branch chairmanship and membership and joined SAPP.


SAPP confident of expanding to more areas, future lies in the hands of the local activists




Meanwhile, SAPP President, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, today expressed optimism that the Party will expand to more areas when more and more political activists realized that the party is serious in its rebranding and reinventing efforts to make itself more effective in struggling for the people in Sabah.

“It is with great pride that SAPP welcomes new members such as Tuan Haji Amde Sidik, Dullie Marie and many others into the party at the same time that SAPP has freed itself from the Barisan Nasional.”

Yong added that, “It is very rare that a ruling coalition party component will leave the government of the day and fight on as an opposition. It is even rarer that new members join this party knowing very well that the next elections is still a long way to go."

The joining of SAPP by new members in Putatan today, and earlier in Tuaran, Sandakan and Keningau, shows that many people have the great urge to see SAPP lead Sabah on a new path of Sabah autonomy and political struggle truly for the people. As the local Sabah party outside the BN, SAPP members are encouraged by the new members who join the party to fight for a brighter future for Sabah.

SAPP has also been getting strong demand from political activists in rural districts to set up branches and constituency liaison committees (divisions) which will be announced from time to time.

“We expect this organic growth of the party through a steady inflow of good leaders and committed members all over Sabah will bring about a much stronger, more broad-based and effective political party in time for the next general elections, whenever that might be” said Yong.