KOTA KINABALU, Aug 20 — Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee is keeping mum over claims that 13 Sabah members of parliament, including two from the SAPP, will cross over to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) soon.
"We already announced our stand (on June 18) to support a no-confidence motion in the Dewan Rakyat against the prime minister. That stand remains," he told reporters after unveiling the "Malaysia 1963" billboard at the SAPP headquarters in Luyang today.
Yong was asked to comment on the claims by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan on Monday that 13 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs from Sabah would cross over to the PR if PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won the Permatang Pauh by-election on Tuesday.
Jeffrey also claimed that two of the MPs were from the SAPP and the rest from Umno.
"This question should be posed to other BN MPs," said the former Chief Minister without elaborating.
SAPP's two MPs are Datuk Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) and Datuk Chua Soon Bui(Tawau).
Meanwhile, Yong called on the Sabah government "to do justice" to the pioneers of Sabah and founders of Malaysia, and declare 2008 as the 45th Hari Kebangsaan (National Day) and not the 51st National Day.
Yong claimed that "the Sabah government has mistakenly or obediently adopted the 1957 date by declaring this year's National Day as the 51st rather than 45th".
"We note that Sarawak has done the right thing by celebrating the 45th National Day and not the 51st. The people in Sabah (then North Borneo) and Sarawak had nothing but colonial rule to celebrate in 1957.
"As true Malaysians, we should celebrate 1963 (the year Malaysia was formed). We call on academicians, historians, civil servants and our political leaders to speak up in the interests of history and true facts so that the government will respect history and the truth," he said. — Bernama
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