Wong: Probe a waste of time, funds

2009/11/22

KOTA KINABALU: DAP Sri Tanjung assemblyman Jimmy Wong has described the move by the Sabah government to set up a special committee to investigate allegations on his possession of the Sijil Anak Negeri or native’s certificate as a waste of time and public f u n d s.

He said the state government should instead focus on forming a special committee to resolve the perennial problem of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants in the state, particularly those who obtained the MyKad through dubious means.

Wong said that based on reports, some of the illegal immigrants who managed to obtain dubious MyKads had subsequently applied for native cer tificates.

“This (illegal immigrants) is the real or biggest problem in Sabah that warrants the setting up a special committee.

“But they purposely made me a scapegoat to shut me up because I’m vocal in highlighting the people’s problems, including protecting an open space near Sabindo in Tawau.

“I applied for this cer tificate through proper channels about 30 years ago and the Native Court approved it... I have never abused it. I was born and brought up in Sabah and my grandmother was a Sino-Kadazan.” Wong was responding to the announcement by state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor in his winding-up speech for his ministry at the state assembly on Thursday that the ministry would set up a special committee to investigate the allegation made by Sekong assembyman Datuk Samsuddin Yahya.

Samsuddin also alleged that the DAP representative owned a resort in Semporna and he had encroached onto government land when renovating his house.

Wong claimed that the allegations were politically motivat e d . He later lodged a police report over the matter.

“They treat me worse than a f o r e i g n e r. ” He also challenged all the BN state assemblymen, including ministers and assistant ministers, to declare their assets to see if they m at c h e d their accumulated allowances.

— Ber nama