KOTA KINABALU:
“It is a sad day for the civil service when the District Officer tried to play
politics to justify his refusal to open up the Batu Sumpah monument on Malaysia
with excuses and lies. It may be better
that he ask to be transferred out of Keningau to protect the good name of the
Sabah civil service” said Dr. Jeffrey in response to the so-called explanation
of the District Officer that STAR Sabah applied to hold the Malaysia Day
commemoration service.
“If the
District Officer wish to recall, I applied for permission as the State
Assemblyman for Bingkor and the request was not made under STAR Sabah party as
alleged by the D.O.” stressed Dr. Jeffrey.
It is only
right that the commemoration service be held on Malaysia Day itself even if it
is a public holiday. The D.O.’s excuse
that it was a public holiday and the event cannot be held as such is absurd.
If he still
think this reason is right, then he should advise the federal and Sabah
governments not to celebrate Merdeka since 31 August is a public holiday.
The Batu
Sumpah monument belongs to the people and it should be accessible to the public
at all times. If properly organized, it
can even be a tourist attraction the whole year round. As for the wild
allegations of damage to government properties, it is unwarranted and totally
baseless.
Each year
for the past many years, his predecessors have allowed commemoration events to
be held at the Batu Sumpah on Malaysia Day and no untoward incidents had happened
before.
‘I would
have let the matter rest but felt compelled to respond to the D.O. to put the
facts right as the public ought to be told the truth not some misplaced
excuses” added Dr. Jeffrey.
As for the
official ceremony, it is up to the authorities but it would have been more
appropriate if it had been held on Malaysia Day itself. If they think they are
right, they might as well celebrate the Merdeka Day on 1st January or some
other advance date other than the actual date.
As for the
allegations and threats against him, it is not right for the accusations and
threats to be made as the missing key words were removed much earlier, before
his tenure as D.O. In any event, since
the Batu Sumpah monument is under his care and responsibility, the D.O. should
take steps to investigate the matter and identify the culprits involved and to
bring them before the law.
Datuk Dr.
Jeffrey Kitingan
Chairman
Borneo Heritage Foundation (BHF)
22 September
2014
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