Senator, envoy posts offer smacks of bribery, says Yong

KOTA KINABALU: SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee claimed the offer of Senator and envoy posts smacks of bribery.
Yong claimed that he turned down the offer to be made a Senator and the envoy task for the BIMPEAGA region as a move to “shut his mouth” over issues his party had been highlighting to the leadership.
Showing the letter marked “rahsia (secret)” he said it was offered to him by Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman who told him that if he accepted it, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would announce it.
“I asked him why now. Is it to keep me quiet? He (Musa) said no, but I told him (Musa) I better not take it.
“Better offer it to some other SAPP member,” said Yong.
He said he received the offer letter on June 17, a day before he announced that SAPP MPs would table or support a motion of no confidence against Abdullah.
Yong said that when he met Abdullah on May 13, Abdullah had told him that there was a long list of people who would be appointed as Senators.
“I felt like I was being baited,” he said.
Stressing that he had nothing personal against Abdullah, Yong said that he had never asked for anything for himself from Abdullah who had claimed that he (Yong) was greedy.
He said issues raised by SAPP were strictly on the need to urgently tackle Sabah issues like illegal immigrants among others.
Yong also said that the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting that asked SAPP to explain their stand on the no-confidence motion, failed to discuss the problems of Sabah raised by the party but instead looked at ways to act against the party.
Questioning why SAPP was not invited to the meeting, Yong said that they had not received any letter from the Barisan headquarters.
On Musa’s claim that issues raised were being addressed, he said such issues like illegal immigrants were long overdue but the federal government says that it still needed time.
“Street kids have become adults ... law and order is a duty of the government,” he said.
Asked what he intended to do by moving a vote of no confidence against Abdullah, Yong said SAPP wanted a change in the political landscape as the Prime Minister was unable to come to grips with the situation of the food and energy crisis facing the country.
Asked if Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had given him a better offer during their meeting in Hong Kong and in Kuala Lumpur, Yong responded that his talks with Anwar was about Asian Renaissance and Asia.
“We also talked about the food crisis and other issues affecting the country as well as Sabah, particularly illegal immigrants and government matters,” he said.
“My mind is clear on what we want to achieve for the state and country,” said Yong who first confirmed his meeting with Anwar when announcing a motion of no confidence on Wednesday.

tunku : while some of yong's demand are too much but the offering of senatorship by pak lah is an act of bribery and abuse of power.hope aca will investigate this matter. don't just investigate those who opposes pak lah. where is the transparency , openness and god knows what else under this regime as louded by musa hitam, zaid ibrahim, shahrir samad etc.? as for yong teck lee it's clear that he is an opportunist leader.if he had call the motion sincerely not because the deal with anwar, he will have the supports even from the bn's camp.