Sapp sec-gen: We stand firm

Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) has made it clear that it has not dropped its plan to move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Secretary-general Richard Yong in a press statement stated that “the party's stand on Sapp’s loss of confidence in the PM remains”.

He faxed a statement to Malaysiakini following newspaper reports today quoting the party's Tawau MP and vice-president Dr Chua Soon Bui as indicating that the party has changed its plan to submit the motion.

Yong said the party would file the motion when the time is right, but “not at the moment in order not to fall into the trap of some racist opportunists especially in view of the current volatile situation in the country”.

The supreme council dropped a bombshell last month when it decided by consensus at a special meeting to support or move such a motion.

This was prompted by what it called “the failure of the federal government to address a number of longstanding and critical issues facing Sabah, particularly the issue of illegal immigrants and the Projek IC or Projek Mahathir”.

Chua and the party's Sepanggar MP, Dr Eric Majimbun, had reportedly met Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

They explained their two-week absence from parliament, especially during the crucial vote on a government motion on the increase of fuel price.

Comments subsequently attributed to Chua in the media implied that - since the federal authorities are taking steps to address thorny issues in Sabah - the party would drop the no-confidence motion.

Yong, however, said Chua has already issued a clarification she had never said the party has dropped the proposal.

The party has received a show-cause letter from Barisan Nasional for its rebellion against the ruling coalition.

Majimbun's cryptic answers

When met in Parliament today, Majimbun declined to give definitive answers to reporters seeking his comments on the matter.

Despite being asked repeatedly whether the plan for the no-confidence motion was still to take place, he replied cryptically by stating many times only "probably" and "I don't know".

"Let my (party) exco members comment. I don't have to comment now," said Majimbun.

"We will issue that (statement) when the time comes," he added. "Probably we will submit (the motion)," he said further.

"At the moment, it is not an appropriate time," he said when asked whether the motion would be submitted any time soon.

Majimbun also said the party was also monitoring the implementation of policies announced by the government in response to the issues raised regarding Sabah.

"We have not seen how they are doing it. Action is still going on... We want to know the results," he said.

Asked about the threats that had purportedly kept Sapp's two MPs from attending Parliament, Majimbun said the threats were not as much of a concern as before.

"I'm safe in Malaysia (now). This is our country. How can we safe we are not safe in our own country?" he asked.

PKR hails Sapp for standing firm

Meanwhile, Sabah PKR chief Ansari Abdullah in a telephone interview with Malaysiakini said PKR is happy that Sapp is standing firm in protecting the rights and interest of the state.

Ansari also told Malaysiakini that High Court judge Albert Linton had disallowed preliminary objections raised by successful BN candidate Wilfred Bamburing against the election petition in Tuaran parliamentary constituency.

Ansari, who contested the seat and lost, said there are three main grounds, including alleged corrupt practice and racist leaflets for the election petition filed by his election agent, Lim Ching Ping.

The judge has set the trial date to start on July 14.

In another election petition case, judge David Wong in Sabah also disallowed the preliminary objections raised by victorious BN candidate for the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency, Joseph Kurup, a deputy minister and PBRS president.

He won unopposed after the PKR candidate Danny Andipai was allegedly late in submitting his nomination papers during the March 8 general elections.

The judge set the trial date to begin on July 10.