Raymond got me wrong – Wong
DAP Sabah chief Stephen Wong said Tanjung Papat assemblyman Datuk Seri Panglima Raymond Tan Shu Kiah got him wrong and should apologise for sta ng that he had lied to the people.
SANDAKAN: DAP Sabah chief Stephen Wong said Tanjung Papat assemblyman Datuk Seri Panglima Raymond Tan Shu Kiah should apologise for stating that he had lied to the people.
Raymond said in a recent statement that Wong was not telling the truth when he said DAP members of Parliament had fought very hard to oppose the tourism tax when in fact Wong did not say anything during the passing of the Bill.
“I did not say that I opposed the tourism tax during the Parliament sitting. I said that the DAP MPs voiced out to oppose the Bill.
“During the Parliament sitting we (DAP) chose representatives to voice out our concerns. He (Raymond) as an assemblyman should know how this works. Not everybody gets to talk about everything at any time they want. It is a Parliament sitting, not a market.
“His statement had made me look like a liar. He had accused me and he should apologise (to me),” Wong said in a press conference here yesterday.
Wong said that Barisan Nasional did not object during the passing of the Bill on April 6, 2017.
He said that he had long opposed the tourism tax as published in Chinese newspapers on September 7, 2016.
Wong who is also the Sandakan MP, said that he met with federal Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz at the lobby after the Parliament sitting and personally told him that he opposed the tourism tax.
“I am disappointed that as a leader, he (Raymond) would make such accusation,” Wong added.
Meanwhile, Wong said that basketball court in Sim Sim is not maintained by the Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) and the facility could not be utilised by the people.
“DAP Sandakan wanted to meet with the people and have a Hari Raya celebration at the basketball court of Sim Sim. SMC then issued a letter stating that we do not have the permission to use the place.
“How can this be? SMC did not even maintain that place. They never cut the grass and there were rubbish and broken glass. There were also a lot of leftover metal after the fence was stolen and poking out of the floor which could be dangerous to the people, especially children.
“We spent our time to cut the grass, clean the place and remove the leftover metal for the people there. SMC should thank us, and not stop us from using the place,” he said.
Wong said that the Hari Raya celebration with the people is a happy event that promoted unity among the people, and SMC should not bring politics into the matter.
“This is a programme to unite with the people of different races. Is it so wrong that I as the MP want to meet with the people of Sim Sim to celebrate Hari Raya?” he questioned.