Ex-Sabah CM: Sabahans must condemn 'political frogs' and 'frog collectors'

Former Sabah chief minister Chong Kah Kiat said Sabahans have been made to fork out millions of ringgit to pay for the pensions of the 65 assemblypersons who only served for 26 months.

Chong, who is the honorary life president of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said among those who benefited from the lifelong pensions were the "political frogs", the Borneo Post reported.

He cited Para 2(1) of the First Schedule of the Members of the Administration and Members of the Legislative Assembly (Remuneration) Enactment 1981, which states that a person who ceases to be a member may be granted a pension if he has completed 36 months of reckonable service.

However, Para 2(2) states that any reckonable service, in the case of a person who ceases to be a member, either through death or dissolution of the Legislative Assembly or through disqualification under Article 17 (1) (a) of the State Constitution shall, where it is less than 36 months, be deemed to be 36 months of reckonable service.

Due to that, Chong questioned caretaker Chief Minister Shafie Apdal if he ever considered the financial implications when he requested from the governor to dissolve the Sabah State Assembly, despite the government being in power for only 26 months.

“Awarding all the political frogs with pensions for a mere two years and two months of public service?

“Is this fair to our government servants, who have to sweat it out for at least 10 years to qualify for their pensions?

“Who, ultimately, has to bear for the pensions, if not we Sabahans?” Chong asked.

He said Sabahans should not only condemn the defectors, many of whom were highly educated, but also the parties that accepted them.

“I believe we should not only condemn all these latest political frogs for betraying their respective political parties, under which they won their election to become honourable members of the august State Assembly.

“We must, in fact, condemn, even stronger, the party that accepted them in the first place," he said.

He added that the "frog collectors" also gave a bad name to the state.

“How hypocritical can it be to hear and read from our political leaders proclaiming that there shall be no more political frogs or no political frogs will be considered when choosing candidates for the upcoming election.

“Sabahans should not only condemn those political frogs but must also condemn those politicians who had unashamedly embraced and accepted them into their political parties,” Chong added.

Sabah will hold its state election on Sept 26, following the dissolution of the state legislative assembly on July 30.

The dissolution of the state assembly came after former chief minister Musa Aman claimed that he had secured a simple majority to form a new state government. - Mkini

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