KOTA KINABALU, April 5 — The Federal Cabinet’s decision to declassify the final report of the investigation into the Sabah Air plane crash that killed the then Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens, along with several members of the state Cabinet in 1976, is a relief, said Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Chief Minister said this was because the move will unravel what actually happened on the day of the crash that killed 11 people.
“It is a relief not only to the family of those who perished in the plane crash but also to the people of Sabah,” he said in a statement here on Wednesday.
Hajiji said the state government will accept the findings of the report of the incident dubbed ‘Double Six Crash’ as it occurred on June 6, 1976, with an open heart.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the report has been declassified in accordance with Section 2C of the Official Secrets Act 1972 (Act 88), and is to be made public next week.
Meanwhile, Parti Warisan (Warisan) information chief Datuk Azis Jamman said the federal government’s decision to declassify the report is a step in the right direction.
He said that the Prime Minister’s announcement was something that many Sabahans will welcome as they have been waiting for the report for decades.
“It will put an end to questions and any speculation on the air crash that resulted in 11 people killed including then Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens on 6 June 1976,” Azis added in a statement on Wednesday.
He also said that many Sabahans still remember that tragic day and since then have been asking what caused the crash.
“Questions and any speculation would normally arise when the annual memorial service to remember those who perished in the accident is held at the site in Sembulan,” he said.
He also expressed the party’s gratitude to the federal government for agreeing to declassify the report and therefore putting to rest the concerns of Sabahans.
Anwar said on Wednesday during the post-cabinet meeting press conference that the move was aligned with the current government’s plight to uphold greater transparency that Sabah, the affected family members and those in Sabah deserve. — Borneo Post
