DID THAM ‘VIOLENTLY OBJECT’ TO FMUs?

By: DATUK DAVID CHONG KET SUI

IN the local news paper yesterday, (Wednesday,10 November 20110) Datuk Tham Nyip Shen had claimed that he had ‘violently objected’ to the FMUs. If he did, nobody heard his ‘violent objection’ for 13 years. He was Deputy Chief Minister from 1996 to 2004.

Then, he became Science Advisor to the Chief Minister until 2008. Did he voice his objection? Did he put in writing any of his objections? What were his grounds of objections? The Head office of the Forestry Department is situated in Sandakan, where Datuk Tham’s former Elopura Constituency is. Did he ever object to the Forestry Director?

Who is Tham trying to fool again?

Datuk Yong Teck Lee has released four letters dated 14 September 1999 by Datuk Tham to Dato Seri Lim Keng Yeik, who was the then Primary Industries Minister, and Dato Mustapha Mohamed and to the Director General of Economic Planning Unit. International Trade Minister Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz, to the Second Finance Minister These and other documents can be downloaded at www.sapp.org.my.

Does Datuk Tham claim these letters to be fake? Are his signatures genuine? If the letters are genuine, then it means that Datuk Tham was lying through his teeth about his violent objection to the FMUs.

His letters not only justified the FMUs potentials, but also spoke about the “biodiversity ornamental and pharmaceutical plants”.

According to other documents, Datuk Tham was briefed on FMUs on 30 July 1999. Did he Voice his objection there? Not only did Tham did not object, but he was so convinced about the goodness in FMUs that he visited the World Bank, wrote several letters to federal ministers and even used an agency under his control, KKIP Sdn. Bhd., to handle FMUs matters.

Datuk Yong said Datuk Tham had asked him for an FMU to be allocated to KKIP Forest Sdn. Bhd., a company under Datuk Tham’s control. Is this true? Maybe more documents will surface from the archives of Datuk Tham to haunt him.