THAM SHOULD BE JAIL?

SABAH Progressive Party (SAPP) ex-Assistant Secretary-General, Foo Fook Ming questioned the government whether that income level, occupation and political affiliation part of the conditions to receive a free computer.

"In recent months, the BN government has been dishing out tens of thousands of laptop computers to individuals. Are the computers given out in accordance with the specifications?

"SAPP advises the government officers handling the distribution of the computers to make sure that they do not become victims in being involved in dishing out illegal, substandard computers installed with pirated software.

"As a lesson to government officers, in 2007, a Pemimpin Kemajuan Rakyat (PKR) (Mr. Wong) of Elopura constituency was convicted and sentenced to two years' imprisonment and RM100,000 fine for failure to supply computers to a Sandakan school in December 1998.

Wong was working as PKR under the direction of his assemblyman, Datuk Tham Nyip Shen, who was the Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Information Technology at the time of the offence being committed in December 1998. The immediate past PKR of Elopura is the current Elopura assemblyman, Au Kam Wah, who was also the political secretary to Datuk Tham at the time.

"The computer supplier was Elektronet Komputer Sdn. Bhd. which belongs to Tham Nyip Shen. Elektronet had received the payments for the computers. This was Tham's left hand selling to his right hand, using government funds. This itself is corruption that must be investigated.

"A staff of Elektronet Komputer was a Mr. Sim. Sim was also sentenced to two years' jail and RM100,000 fine for abetting Mr. Wong. We pray that justice be meted out to the real culprit, that is Tham Nyip Shen, and that Wong and Sim will be freed of the charges.

"Both Mr. Wong and Mr. Sim were made to serve part of the sentence in 2008 in the Sandakan prison before they got a stay of execution pending appeal. Their appeals are still pending.

"Datuk Tham Nyip Shen profited from the supply of second-hand and illegal computers to schools through his assemblyman office using government funds. He did not do anything to help defend the two poor chaps, or assist the two families who are still suffering from anguish and an uncertain future. Datuk Tham made a scapegoat of his two most trusted lieutenants.

"In fact, if the school teacher concerned had not lodged a police report to protect herself, then the teacher would have also fallen victim to Tham's devious scheme. Such is the character of Tham Nyip Shen. He laughs all the way to the bank while his staff goes to jail. Everybody must be very, very careful when dealing with him.

Foo Fook Ming, who was a political secretary from 1990 to 1999, is recently appointed Deputy Permanent Chairman of SAPP during its Party Congress.