Donald, son of Double Six victim, praises PM for declassifying report

5 April 2023

By Wartawan Nabalu news

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin, whose father was one of the 11 people who died in the Double Six crash in 1976, has lauded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for his decision to declassify the federal investigation report of the incident.

Mojuntin said that his family had been waiting for nearly 47 years to know the truth behind the crash that killed his father, Datuk Peter Mojuntin, who was a state minister and a revered leader in Sabah politics.

He said that Anwar had shown transparency and openness by agreeing to release the report, which he said was in the public interest and would end all the speculation and conspiracy theories that had surrounded the tragedy.

“To us, YAB PM is ‘walking the talk’ about more transparency and openness in our unity government. He recognises the agony and great sorrow felt not only by the victims’ families but also by most Sabahans,” he said in a statement today.

Donald stated that, this Cabinet decision was the first to acknowledge the right of citizens to access information in the public interest and to curb the government’s power to withhold information unnecessarily or discriminately.

He also hoped that this would put an end to all the uncertainties and conspiracy theories that have emerged over the last four decades.

Meanwhile, he also urged Anwar to lift the ban on the book “The Golden Son of the Kadazan”, which gives a glimpse of his father’s life and legacy as a revered leader in Sabah politics.

“It is an inspiring book that should be shared by everyone. We do not know of any reasonable justification in banning the book nor were we given any reasonable explanation of it. We implore YAB PM and his Cabinet to continue doing the right thing,” he said.

Earlier, Anwar announced that he agreed to declassify the federal investigation report of the crash that killed Sabah’s first Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and several state ministers on June 6, 1976.

The crash occurred when a GAF Nomad plane carrying Fuad and his entourage crashed in Sembulan, near Kota Kinabalu airport, shortly after taking off from Labuan.

The other victims were state ministers Datuk Salleh Sulong and Chong Thien Vun, state assistant minister Darius Binion, Sabah Finance Ministry’s permanent secretary Datuk Wahid Peter Andau, Kpl Said Mohammad Mohammad (Fuad’s bodyguard), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s private secretary Isak Atan, pilot Captain Gandhi Nathan and Johari Stephens (Fuad’s son).