Agencies asked to investigate chopper landing at school

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and Education Department have been called on to thoroughly investigate the helicopter landing incident at SK Sacred Heart in Kampung Semeba on Sunday (Aug 4).

In a statement yesterday, Democratic Action Party Batu Kitang chairman Abdul Aziz Isa said he was taken aback by Youth and Sports Assistant Minister Datuk Snowdan Lawan’s claim that the issue of minor damage to the school’s guardhouse and signboard, believed to have been caused by a helicopter landing, had been amicably resolved and was considered closed.

“Snowdan can claim that the issue has been amicably resolved between him and the school management. But is he in the position to claim that the matter is closed entirely? Is he above the law?” he said and questioned whether the three agencies had investigated the matter.

The special assistant to Stampin member of parliament Chong Chieng Jen claimed Snowdan had put the safety of the primary school at risk, and that landing a helicopter on an unpaved school field in close proximity to villages could only be justified in times of emergency.

“Attending a party function does not qualify for an emergency. Can anybody in Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) clarify that if the party function held last Sunday at Kampung Semeba was considered an emergency?

“I’m very sure that Snowdan is fully aware that Kampung Semeba is merely 15 kilometres from Kuching city, and in fact, it’s just 10 kilometres or a 15-minute drive from Kuching International Airport (KIA) where a helicopter can be landed safely,” he said.