Yong slams S'wak speaker for censoring Hansard

DAP assemblyperson Violet Yong Wui Wui today blasted Sarawak state assembly speaker Awang Asfia Awang Nassar for blaming a technical glitch in the recording system for the missing portions of her speech in the legislature's Hansard.

"The answer given by the speaker is most illogical, inexcusable, unbelievable and a lame excuse. Who will believe him?" she said when commenting on Asfia's reply to her queries on the missing portions of her speech at the Nov 4 state assembly sitting.

Yong (left) had written to Asfia querying him on the missing parts of her her speech touching on the alienation of parcels of land at the Borneo Development Corporation (BDC) housing estate to a dormant company, Monarda Sdn Bhd, at an "obscenely" low price, and asked him to reinstate them.

She had said that Monarda was owned by multi-billionaire Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's son, Mahmud Abu Bekir (52 shares), daughters Jamilah Hamidah and Hanifah Hajar ( 12 shares each) and Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan's daughter Anisa Hamidah Abdullah alias Chan Wai Kuen (12 shares).

Anisa is also wife of Taib's other son, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman.

The 269 acres, next to the Kuching International Airport, were sold for about RM78 million, but according to Yong, the price should have been at least RM500 million, based on the current market rate.

Family's land acquisition questioned

The other portions of her speech not in the Hansard were a series of queries, including the number of parcels of land and the total acreage alienated to Taib, his children, brothers and sisters over the last 15 years and whether they were alienated under open tender.

She also asked for the total cost incurred by the state government in building the Sarawak International Medical Centre, now known as the Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre.

The DAP state assemblyperson for Meradong, Ting Tze Fui, has also criticised the assembly speaker for leaving out some parts of her speech as well from the Hansard.

Asfia, in an interview with the local press, said the omissions were not deliberate, but due to a technical problem involving the assembly's new recording system.

He also denied ever receiving a letter from Yong asking him to reinstate the missing portions of her speech.

Yong said Asfia's replies raised more questions than answers.

"My assistant personally handed over my letter to his officer, who acknowledged receiving the letter on Dec 20 last year. The officer is now retired from government service," she said.

Multi-million ringgit building, quirky system

She said she faxed the same letter to Asfia (right) the next day, after confirming the fax number with his office.

"Now, he cannot deny ever receiving my letter," she added, stating that Asfia had no valid excuse for not replying to her letter.

Yong refused to accept Asfia's claim that the recording system had been hit by a technical problem.

"It is very irresponsible of him to say that a state assembly building that cost RM300 million has a poor recording system.

"If indeed the recording system has problems, then I urge the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) to step in and start  investigating for possible wrongdoings.

Yong believes that there is nothing wrong with the recording system as she has never heard BN representatives complaining about a similar problem.

"The answer could be that the recording system has no problem with speeches of praise for Taib by BN assemblypersons, but it suddenly becomes allergic and automatically switches itself off when the opposition mentions Taib and his wealth," she said.