Jeffrey to Harris: Let’s do it on June 17, at Hongkod

KOTA KINABALU: State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah chairman Jeffrey Kitingan is willing debate with former Chief Minister Harris Salleh, once Harris is “formally appointed” by the federal and state governments to face him.

“Let’s fix the date and place, here and now,” he said in statement here today. “Let’s do it at the Hongkod Koisaan, on the night of June 17.”

Jeffrey was responding to tha challenge by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh last Thursday to an open public debate on STAR’s view that Kuala Lumpur is colonising Sabah, saying saying that he promised that the debate should be confined and based on Jefrrey’s contention and evidences.

However, Jeffrey is going into the debate with his own additional conditions.

“Harris is not right to person to debate on the issue because he is a past Chief Minister who is no longer involved in the running of the government, so he doesn’t have the loci standi to speak on behalf of the government,” Jeffrey said. “But I will gladly face him if the Federal or State Government make a formal announcement to appoints him as their representative to debate with me.”

But he said he would prefer to face the current Chief Minister, because it is only right that Musa answers for a lot of questions we have with regard to the many situations in Sabah.

“Or better still, the Prime Minister,” he said. “It is in the public interest for us to debate on the issue of internal colonisation as we approach the 50th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia.”

But whoever I face, I make it a condition that this debate be made an international event with the presence of the international media, such as CNN, Al Jazeera and the BBC, Reuters, the Associated Press and the rest.

“I also want the moderator to be a neutral one, preferably someone from outside Sabah, and official representatives of the British government and of the United Nations to be present.”

He said these conditions are justified because the topic of the debate involves a vast number of local and international issues, including Sabah’s terms in joining with three other nations to form the Federation of Malaysia, the guarantees given for Sabah’s rights and autonomy including power over immigration and revenue collection as sealed with the 20 Points, the recommendation in the IGC Report, the original intentions of the nation’s founding fathers and even the work of the Cobbold Commission.

“As far as STAR is concerned this will be our golden opportunity to publicise the whole issue of Sabah’s position in Malaysia to the global community,” he added. “So let’s not do it half way. Let’s make this a historic debate which will be judged not only by Malaysians but by the other governments and peoples of the world.”