Friday, August 22, 2008

Gambling licence: Yong responds to Najib's allegation (Malaysiakini)


Sapp president Yong Teck Lee has lashed out at Umno leaders saying that they do not have the moral authority to speak on the issue of gambling in Sabah because they bring up such matters only when it suits their purposes.

In a statement today, Yong revealed that in the April 2007 Ijok by-election, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, using the mobile phone of Sabah state minister Raymond Tan “requested me to cut short my conference overseas in order to quickly return to Malaysia to make a statement in Ijok to attack (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim on the subject of the lottery licence.”

“I made the trip, stated the facts and returned to Sabah,” Yong said in response to Najib’s comments on the lottery issue.

The Sapp chief said the facts also remain that, from 1996 to 1998 (when he was Sabah chief minister), it was only the state government which held firm in its stance to resist the federal licence granted to a 4-digit lottery company to operate in Sabah.

None of the federal Umno leaders at the time lifted a finger to help the Sabah BN state cabinet overcome the “table slamming and files throwing” by the then deputy premier and Umno deputy president.

It was also Anwar who, as part of the BN promises of 1994, reduced the number of 4-D gaming outlets by 150 outlets and cut the number of slot machines per club from ten to five.

After the 1997 meeting in Sandakan (between Anwar and the then state cabinet on the gaming licence issue), Yong met then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his office and presented the stand of the state government on gaming, complete with the statistics of gaming licences in all the states and FTs and an analysis of the social ills of gaming.

Mahathir then left the matter to the state government, Yong said .

“Unknown to him (Dr Mahathir) at the time, in my pocket was my signed resignation letter addressed to the PM (also BN chair) in case I was instructed to approve the state licence to the gaming company, which I would be unable to do as that would be against the interests of the state and people.

Anwar did not pursue the matter anymore,” Yong said.

Licence approved in 2001

“Till this day, I am grateful to the state cabinet ministers of 1997 (from Sabah Umno, Sapp, Upko, PBRS and Akar) who stood by me as chief minister in overcoming this difficult episode with the central government.

“But to the dismay of Sabahans, in 2001 the BN government issued the licence at both the state and federal levels to the lottery company concerned.

“Further, to add insult to injury, slot machines were increased from five per club to ten per club.

If any Umno leader wishes to pursue this matter, I can volunteer the facts and sequence of events in more detail,” Yong added.

On Wednesday, Najib claimed that Anwar Ibrahim, when he was deputy prime minister once slammed the table and threw files to demand the Sabah government approve a licence for a four-digit lottery to a company he had an interest in.

“He (Anwar) wanted the licence because his elder brother was the chairman of the company concerned,” Najib said when campaigning for the BN in Permatang Pauh.

The DPM said he was proud of the action of the Sabah government in upholding its principles to deny the unprincipled Anwar the licence.

“Now he (Anwar) is talking about forming a society of high moral values but before, demanded for a gambling licence to be approved,” he said.

entire news n photo courtesy of Malaysiakini

3 comments:

Bangsa Cina Malaysia said...

Asalamualaikum

the chinese are 100% solidly supporting DSAI to be the next PM of Malaysia.

to my malay and indian friends
come let us together show and prove our solidarity and rally
behind DSAI.

forget about saiful sinful or whatever fool .

Alhamdulilah everything went smoothly during nomination day.

just go all out and vote DSAI for he will not only be our MP but also our next PM for all Malaysian.

long live DSAI and may ALLAH
bless you and your family.

Ameen

Bangsa Cina Malaysia said...

Asalamualaikum

the chinese are 100% solidly supporting DSAI to be the next PM of Malaysia.

to my malay and indian friends
come let us together show and prove our solidarity and rally
behind DSAI.

forget about saiful sinful or whatever fool .

Alhamdulilah everything went smoothly during nomination day.

just go all out and vote DSAI for he will not only be our MP but also our next PM for all Malaysian.

long live DSAI and may ALLAH
bless you and your family.

Ameen

Bangsa Cina Malaysia said...

I,THAGARAJOO A/L THANGAVELU (NRIC No. 590821-10-6033) a Malaysian citizen of legal age and residing at No. 20, Jalan BK 4/1F, Bandar Kinrara, 47100 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan do solemnly and sincerely affirm and say as follows:-

(1) I am a Driver by profession.

(2) Sometime in 1995, I commenced employment with one Datuk K.S. Nallakaruppan (“Datuk Nalla”) as his driver. During the course of my employment with him, over a period of about five (5) years, I became privy to many events and incidents involving Datuk Nalla, primarily that involving his friendship with Datuk Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim (“DSAI”). They were close personal friends.

(3) During my initial years of employment with Datuk Nalla, I frequented a house in Jalan Tunku, Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, which was tenanted by Datuk Nalla. The owner of the said house was Dato’ Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (“Dato’ Shafee”). Datuk Nalla kept the said house as a guesthouse for his friends to use. This house was tenanted for about 1½ years. Later, Datuk Nalla tenanted a condominium at Tivoli Villa.

(4) Sometime in 1998, I was called by Dato’ Shafee to his office. It was a one-to-one meeting which lasted about an hour. Dato’ Shafee asked me to relate the happenings at the said tenanted house. I did so, as I was instructed by my boss, Datuk Nalla, to cooperate in every manner possible. My conversation with Dato’ Shafee was tape-recorded. During the course of the meeting, Dato’ Shafee stopped the tape-recording on four (4) to five (5) occasions. With the tape-recorder switched off, I would be told to say things to implicate DSAI in sex scandals with various women. Upon resumption of the recording, I narrated to Dato’ Shafee as instructed.

(5) On 21st August, 1998 (I remember the date vividly as it was my birthday) I was called to Bukit Aman by Tan Sri Musa Hassan (now the IGP) and thereafter two (2) police officers brought me to meet Tun (then Dato’ Seri) Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia. The meeting lasted about one (1) hour. I was asked to relate to Dr Mahathir of what I knew of DSAI’s movements and doings. I did so as I was assured I would be protected and financially rewarded. On no occasion did I say anything about DSAI’s private meetings with any male acquaintance as there were none.

(6) I make this Statutory Declaration as there now appears to be a sinister attempt by some parties to conspire against DSAI on similar allegations as in 1998 which I strongly and firmly believe are not true at all.

And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declaration Act, 1960

SUBSCRIBED and SOLEMNLY DECLARED )
by the abovenamed THAGARAJOO A/L )
THANGAVELU at Kuala Lumpur in the )
State of Wilayah Persekutuan )
This 21st day of August 2008 )