Be a gentleman and admit past mistakes!

KOTA KINABALU, August 5, 2010: Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat has been urged to be a gentleman and admit his past ‘mistakes’, instead of denying them outright.

“Of course he (Chong) can try his best to deny his past ‘mistakes’ and dubious track records, but I personally believe he will be haunted by his conscience for the rest of his life,” said social activist Kong Yu Kiong.

He said this in response to Chong’s rebuttal to his (Kong) earlier statement that Chong has no moral standing to be a hero of the Chinese community, as portrayed by Chong’s protégé cum LDP President, Datuk VK Liew.

Kong said this was because Chong during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Sabah from 2001 to 2003 not only failed to assist the Chinese community, but had allegedly done the opposite.

He charged that Chong had not only reduced the much-needed state government annual funding for the Chinese schools in the state, he had even allegedly given a piece of state land located in Kolombong that had been allocated by another former Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Yong Teck Lee to the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) for it to build a new primary school to resolve the issue of congestion in its existing school, to a private firm when he (Chong) became the Chief Minister.

The said piece of land was later replaced by an adjacent piece of land, a former dumpsite, which was less strategic in terms of location.

But what was even more outrageous, in as far as Kong is concerned, was Chong’s decision to allow for an increase in the number of slot machines in the various recreational clubs in the state, from five to ten units, also during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Sabah.

In a rebuttal issued on Tuesday, Chong however rubbished such claims, contending that it was very defamatory and irresponsible of Kong to accuse him of doing so.

Chong stressed that he had never taken away any such piece of land that had been allocated by previous fellow ex-CM Datuk Yong Teck Lee to the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of building a new primary school.

Likewise, Chong said Kong's allegation that the increase in the number of slot machines in recreation clubs in the State was due to him was also mischievous and calculated to tarnish his image on behalf of those with a hidden agenda.

Chong said the increase in the slot machines was a Federal Finance Ministry decision and had nothing to do with the State Government which did not have such powers.

“In fact, the Federal Government decided to reinstate what had been reduced and that power rests solely with Federal and not the State,” he said.

Nonetheless, in his response today, Kong who is Youth chairman of Liu Kwee Tang Association Kota Kinabalu categorically maintained that his earlier statement was never intended to defame Chong but was merely stating an undeniable fact based on Chong’s past track records which were reported in the newspapers.

He contended that if what he commented about Chong was truly irresponsible and defamatory, then he (Chong) should have sued those who first highlighted the issue of the school land in the first place. This included the President of KKCCCI, Datuk Seri Panglima Sari Nuar who first highlighted the issue through Sabah DAP Chief cum MP for Kota Kinabalu, Dr Hiew King Cheu who was later joined by former deputy chief minister, Datuk Tham Nyip Shen and prominent Sabah educationist, Datuk Wong Yit Ming.

He recalled that the KKCCCI only managed to secure an adjacent piece of state land which was a former dumpsite, in replacement of the original piece of state land which had been given to a private company by Chong through the Sabah Urban Development Corporation (SUDC), following the swift intervention of the present Chief

Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman just took over the office from Chong in less than six months, at that time.

Kong who is also Vice Chairman of the Sabah Agape Counselling Centre also rubbished Chong’s rebuttal that the increase in the slot machines was a Federal Finance Ministry decision and had nothing to do with the State Government which did not have such powers.

“The State government certainly have power to stop gambling. Sarawak is a good example where unlike Sabah there were no such things as slot machine clubs. Recently, the Sarawak State government even became the first Barisan Nasional state to declare its disapproval of the federal government’s move to legalise sports betting,” he pointed out.

He further noted that it was Chong who reversed the previous decision of the State government to allow Diriwan Corporation to resume its 4-D operations in Sabah, despite a strong objection from a few members of the State Cabinet.

Diriwan used to operate some 200 gaming outlets statewide through its subsidiary, Lotteries Corporation, before its trading licence was revoked in 1996 after being found violating Section 5 of the Pool Betting Act 1976 for operating an illegal lottery.

Controversies emerged a year later when the State Government under the then Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee upheld the decision not to give back Diriwan the trading licence despite having its licence reportedly renewed by the Federal Finance Ministry.

Yong was also reported as stressing that while the issuance of a gaming licence is the prerogative of the Federal Finance Ministry, the operations in Sabah such as relating to trading licence and building policies fall under the purview of the State.

Kong reiterated that he was not targeting at Chong per se nor intended to tarnish his image on behalf of those with a hidden agenda, as what claimed by Chong, but merely to correct his (Chong) successor cum deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk VK Liew’s perception and moral standard in proclaiming a person as a hero, especially when such person does not deserve such an honour.

“Otherwise, it would be a gross insult to all those real heroes out there, some who even sacrificed their precious live to defend the country and its people, besides sending a wrong signal to the public that a person can become a hero regardless of his past immoral conducts,” he said.

He also stressed that he was speaking in his personal capacity as a concerned citizen.