 TUAN
YANG TERUTAMA TUN DATUK SERI PANGLIMA HAJI
MOHAMAD SAID BIN KERUAK, S.M.N., P.M.N.,
S.P.D.K. |
|
 DATUK
SERI PANGLIMA HAJI SALLEH SAID KERUAK |
|
DATUK SERI PANGLIMA HAJI
SALLEH SAID KERUAK
A decade of shaping Sabah
politics
Sejarah Hidup Beliau
DATUK SERI PANGLIMA HAJI
SALLEH TUN HAJI MOHAMAD SAID KERUAK’S
ENTRY INTO UMNO
30
April 1991: Salleh joins Umno
Former Sabah State Assemblyman
Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak announced
that he has joined Umno. Datuk Salleh, who resigned
from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) a week ago, said
he would continue his political struggle via
Umno.
He had earlier said that he
withdrew from PBS because he did not agree with
the party's decision to contest the Usukan state
by-election. "I believe that political
struggle based on national aspirations is the
foundation for closer relations between the
Federal Government and the people in Sabah,"
he said.
Datuk Salleh, 34, is confident
that through Umno the people in Sabah will become
united and benefit from development and progress.
17 September 1991: Haji Salleh heads birthday
awards list
Datuk Haji Salleh, a retired politician, will
be bestowed the State's highest award, Seri
Panglima Darjah Kinabalu (SPDK), which carries
the title "Datuk."
5 November 1993:
Sabah division thankful for lesson on freedom
A delegate from Sabah, Datuk
Haji Salleh Said Keruak, said Sabah Umno would
forever be indebted to the party for demonstrating
the true meaning of real freedom, although the
country had achieved independence.
"Only after Umno spread
its wings to Sabah were we truly given the right
to choose our own political path, our own leader,
and take part in the process of electing the
leaders of the country. Umno has shown us the
real meaning of independence," he said
when debating the presidential address.
The people in Sabah, he said,
had been conditioned to revere a certain leader.
As a result, no work was done as they were spending
all their time and effort in blindly following
the said leader, he added. Now that they were
in Umno, said Salleh, the people of Sabah were
free to choose their own leaders and decide
the direction of the party. He said it would
be a true victory for the Sabah people if the
State were to be administered by Umno.
Salleh said Parti Bersatu
Sabah (PBS) had failed to administer Sabah and
was now using various gimmicks to stir anti-Federal
sentiments among the people of Sabah just to
ensure they remained in power. He said the most
glaring example was the failure of the State
Government to solve the problem of illegal immigrants
in Sabah. The Federal Government, he said, had
introduced various legislation to check the
entry of illegal immigrants into the State,
but they were not implemented by the PBS Government.
"A new hobby of the State Government now
is the privatisation programme. At the Federal
level, the programme is carried out after careful
study. But the programme in Sabah is carried
out by the PBS Government as it pleases.”
"One of the projects
involves the Sabah Forest Industries, now on
a trial privatisation programme for 18 months,"
he said. If this were allowed to go on, he said,
one day PBS would privatise the State Government
as a trial programme.
He also urged Umno, as the
main component of the Barisan Nasional (BN),
never to allow PBS to rejoin the coalition.
He said the Barisan Nasional must always remember
how the PBS betrayed the Federal Government
when it pulled out of the coalition on the eve
of the last general election.
Salleh also called on the Federal Government
to abolish the use of the term the "three
S", namely Semenanjung (the Peninsula),
Sabah and Sarawak, to promote greater integration.
He said Sabah and Sarawak must no longer be
referred to as separate territories as it could
have a negative psychological impact on the
people from the two States.
DATUK HAJI SALLEH TUN HAJI
MOHAMAD SAID KERUAK’S TENURE AS CHIEF
MINISTER OF SABAH
28 December 1994:
Salleh sworn in as new Sabah Chief Minister
Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak was today sworn in as Sabah's new
Chief Minister replacing Tan Sri Sakaran Dandai
who is retiring from politics. Salleh was sworn
in before Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohammad
Said Keruak (his father) at the Istana here
at 10.30am, about 15 minutes after Sakaran submitted
his resignation letter to Said.
At 37, Salleh, who becomes
the ninth Chief Minister of Sabah, is the youngest
ever to hold the office.
Speaking to reporters at the
Chief Minister's office on the 28th Floor of
the Sabah Foundation building, Salleh said he
was informed by telephone of his appointment
by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad
only at 8.55am. Salleh thanked Dr Mahathir for
his confidence and for appointing him Chief
Minister.
"As Chief Minister I
am aware of the heavy responsibility I will
have to shoulder and I promise to give my total
commitment to meet the aspirations of the people,"
he said.
Stressing that his appointment
was not a privilege but a responsibility, Salleh
said if needed, he was prepared to work 24 hours
and every second of the day. The new Chief Minister
also said he would strive to ensure that all
the pledges and promises made by the Barisan
Nasional in the last State elections were fulfilled.
From January, Salleh said,
he would launch an all-out effort to speed up
the implementation of development programmes
to meet the objective of creating a new Sabah
by the year 2000. "We will go full gear
without applying the brakes," he said,
adding that his immediate priority was to put
Sabah on par with the other States.
Emphasising that he is a "team
player" who believes in consultation, Salleh
said, with Sabah's rich resources coupled with
a strong Cabinet line-up and support of the
people, the State has all the potential to emerge
as a progressive State.
Salleh declined to say if
his appointment as Chief Minister would result
in a major Cabinet reshuffle. He said members
of the State Cabinet would take their oath of
office before the Head of State at the Istana
at 10.00am tomorrow and "only then you
will know whether there is going to be changes".
Asked if there was a possibility
he would continue to hold the finance portfolio,
Salleh reiterated that should there be any changes
it should be known tomorrow. On whether he would
be assuming the posts of Sabah Umno liaison
chief and State BN chairman following his appointment
as Chief Minister, Salleh said the matter was
the prerogative of the Prime Minister. "But
if appointed I am ready to shoulder the responsibility."
Salleh proceeded to the Chief
Minister's office after the swearing in ceremony
where Sakaran officially handed over duty to
him. Sakaran, who was appointed Chief Minister
on March 17, is expected to be appointed as
Sabah's Yang di-Pertua Negeri succeeding Tun
Mohamad Said Keruak whose term of office expires
on December 31. The 64-year-old Sakaran also
resigned as Sulabayan Assemblyman and Semporna
Member of Parliament.
Salleh's appointment ended
speculation as to who will take over from Sakaran,
who on numerous occasions since October this
year had indicated his desire to quit politics.
Dr Mahathir had, after a three-day private visit
to Sabah last week, said that two or three candidates
were being considered for the post.
Besides Salleh, the others
who had been tipped to take over from Sakaran
were Land and Cooperative Development Minister
Datuk Osu Sukam and State Communications and
Works Minister Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh.
Salleh is married to Datin
Raya Erom and they have two children, Mohammad
Syarulnizam, seven, and Syazeera, four. The
Usukan State Assemblyman and Kota Belud Umno
division head holds a bachelor's degree in political
science from the Simon Fraser University in
Canada.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Dr Mahathir Mohamad described former Sabah Deputy
Chief Minister Datuk Salleh Tun Mohamad Said
Keruak as the most appropriate leader to be
appointed as the new Chief Minister. He said
Salleh is regarded to be the best person to
become the Sabah Chief Minister. "He has
the experience which is why he is suitable to
be appointed as Sabah Chief Minister."
He hoped that Salleh would
carry out his duty with full responsibility
for the benefit of the people, the state and
the nation in general. What is important, Dr
Mahathir said, is for State Governments to work
with the Federal Government for the benefit
of both parties. He was confident that Sabahans
would give full support to their new Chief Minister.
9 March 1995: Formation
of Sabah State Islamic Department
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk
Haji Salleh Said Keruak announced the formation
of the Sabah State Islamic Department (Jains),
which will be in charge of Islamic matters in
the state. It will be headed by a director and
will be placed under the jurisdiction of the
Chief Minister's Department.
Speaking at a Hari Raya gathering
in east coast town of Kunak, Salleh said the
formation of Jains will provide the state with
a clear-cut policy on the implementation or
enforcement of laws or rulings affecting Islam.
Its formation will not incur
huge expenses nor will it duplicate the functions
of the State Islamic Council (Muis) since Jains
would absorb most of its staff, he said. "Function-wise,
Muis will continue to be a policy-formulating
body while Jains will be the enforcement agency."
With the creation of Jains,
the Islamic Affairs Unit created by the former
state government in 1993 and headed by nominated
Assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Bahrom Titingan, with
ministerial status, will cease to exist.
Ahmad Bahrom, a former Deputy
Chief Minister in the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS)
government, however left the party and joined
Umno soon after the collapse of the PBS. He
is now the Inspector-General of Project, also
with ministerial rank.
24
March 1995: Sabah's development plan
The Sabah Government has drawn
up a 15-year comprehensive economic development
plan for the state, Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Said Keruak said. He said the plan, known
as the Outline Perspective Plan (OPP) for Sabah,
would be launched soon. It will concentrate
on sectors that can speed up the state's economic
development such as the timber, industrial and
agricultural sectors.
"I feel the time has
come for us to have a development plan such
as the OPP (1995 to 2010) so that the people
will know which direction the state's economy
is headed," he told reporters after opening
the multi-purpose hall of the Sekolah Menengah
Kian Kok, Kota Kinabalu. He said the 15-year
period is to coordinate the state's plan with
the national level Second OPP, which will end
in 2010.
27 March 1995:
CM: Work for coalition, not individuals
Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Said Keruak today urged members of component
parties of BN to cultivate the culture of commitment
to the coalition rather than to the individual.
Addressing a Hari Raya gathering organised by
the Sipitang Umno Division, Salleh, who is also
State BN chairman, said he made the call because
with election around the corner, there are bound
to be party members lobbying to be candidates.
He said sometimes party members do not campaign
hard simply because their favourites are not
chosen as candidates. Some even throw their
weight behind independent members or candidates
from other parties to indicate their protest.
"This should stop. It is time that we as
party members show our love and loyalty to the
organisation, and not to any individual,"
he pointed out. Salleh, who is also Sabah Umno
liaison chief, said leaders come and go but
the party stays and as such the organisation
is more important than the individual.
"What is the point of an individual winning
the election if his party loses," he said,
adding it was for this reason that the BN might
field candidates who are not members of any
of its component parties.
On his directive to State
Ministers to bring not more than two officers
during outstation trips, Salleh, who is also
Finance Minister, said it was just one of the
steps he was taking to cut costs. "The
more money we save, the more there will be for
other purposes such as development projects
to benefit the public.”
"For example, a one-way
ticket to Kuala Lumpur for an officer could
instead be used to buy a water tank; a return
ticket could buy a water pump; and two to three
trips including allowances could perhaps build
a low-cost house under the Hardcore Poor Housing
Scheme (PPRT)," he said.
On the Sabah Outline Perspective
Plan (OPP) to be launched soon, the Chief Minister
said it was aimed at providing a brighter future
for the State's younger generation. "The
OPP will not only improve the State's economy
but will provide training and create plenty
of job opportunities for Sabah's young citizens,"
he added.
He said because the PBS Goverment had no systematic
planning, today many young Sabahans have to
work outside the State. To illustrate his point,
the Chief Minister said he was having satay
at a shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur while
on his way to the airport last night when he
was served by a boy from Tambunan.
"Another boy whom I met
also at the same shopping complex told me that
out of the 800 plus employees at a print factory
in KL, 600 are from Sabah," he added.
Salleh said this encounter
at the complex had strengthened his resolution
to work harder for the people of Sabah. "My
stint as Chief Minister may be short, but if
I work hard now at least I will leave office
with the satisfaction that I have laid the foundation
or established a system for my successors.”
4 April 1995: Sabah
to list more state-run firms
Sabah is planning to get several
government-run firms listed on the stock exchange
as part of a major privatisation exercise, its
chief minister said today. "I believe in
the ‘Malaysia Incorporated’ concept
and I feel the private sector has a role to
play here," Datuk Haji Salleh Said Keruak
said in an interview. "We need to corporatise
our state concerns, it will be good for Sabah."
"We are working now to
see how to consolidate the Sabah Bank, the Sabah
Development Bank and Sabah Finance to make it
a financial supermarket," Salleh said,
adding it could either be through a direct listing
or injection into a listed firm.
Salleh said 40 per cent of
Sabah Bank was owned by Bank Negara and the
state may have to buy the stake over from the
Malaysian central bank. The state will get a
stock market listing for its timber business
through a reverse takeover of reforestation
specialist, North Borneo
Timbers Bhd (NBT), by state-owned Sabah Foundation.
The wealthy foundation, estimated
to have some one billion hectares in timber
concessions and RM28.5 billion in assets, will
sign an agreement to acquire control of 62.5
per cent of NBT's equity.
Salleh, who is into his 100th day in office,
was hailed as pro-business when he first took
over the chief ministership in late December
1994. He has promised to put Malaysia's wild
eastern state on the economic fast track during
his two years in office, targeting a growth
rate of 7.9 per cent for Sabah's economy in
the current year, up from 5.5 per cent. On the
political front, Salleh has tried to clean up
the act by launching a tender system for award
of timber concessions to erase the taint of
money and politics link in the business.
Salleh added that Sabah’s
poverty rate, the highest in the country, has
remained at 34 per cent over the past ten years.
One out of every three residents in the state
lived below the poverty line, which involved
mostly farmers and fishermen, he added. He argued
that the figure was the highest in the country
compared with 21 per cent in Sarawak and 15
per cent in the peninsular. The State Government,
through its agencies like Ko-Nelayan, Rural
Development Corporation (KPD), Sabah Foundation
and the Rubber Fund Board, will continue to
ensure that the rate is reduced, he added.
11
April 1995: The boys from Kota Belud
They all hail from Kota Belud
- the former wild town 48 kilometres from Kota
Kinabalu - and together, the three of them made
Sabah's celebrations complete. The trio are
Sabah's young Chief Minister Datuk Haji Salleh
Tun Mohamad Said Keruak, coach Kelly Tham and
striker Matlan Marjan.
It's hard to tell who among
them was the most popular Sabahan on Saturday
night (8 April) when the team lifted the FA
Cup with a 3-1 win over Pahang in the final.
If Matlan was the goal hero and Tham the architect
of Sabah's first major honour in Malaysian soccer,
Salleh was the one who rewarded Sabahans with
a public holiday for the State yesterday.
Salleh, 37, lent his support to the team by
leading the entire cabinet to Merdeka Stadium
for the final. He was not around, but Salleh
would have been amused to hear what a Sabah
fan proposed for the ruling party for the coming
general election. The fan downed a glass of
champagne and, albeit in jest, wanted Tham to
stand in the election.
"You are so popular in Sabah now, Kelly,"
he said. "You can win the election.
"They can put you up
as a candidate anywhere except the CM's area.
You are now one of the chiefs."
Tham, looking at Matlan, sportingly
accepted the praise. "Yes, we are all chiefs
here and we all come from Kota Belud.”
"Matlan is the chief
striker, I am the chief coach and of course,
there is the chief minister. Anak (son) Kota
Belud," said Tham.
Tham explained that in the
local dialect ‘belud’ means mountain,
and it is from there that one can clearly see
the imposing beauty of Mount Kinabalu. Defender
Sudin Soud is also from Kota Belud but as Tham
said, "He is the chief reserve."
13 April 1995:
Firms sought for reverse takeovers
The Sabah Government is on
the lookout for suitable listed companies as
reverse takeover targets, via the injection
of its various businesses into them, said Sabah
Chief Minister Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak. This move is part of its efforts
to corporatise the various State-run firms as
part of Sabah's masterplan to become a developed
State by the year 2000.
"Listed companies we are looking for should
ideally have the expertise in land development,
construction, tourism, timber and agricultural
products processing," he said at his office
in Kota Kinabalu last week.
These sectors are currently
the main engines of growth for the State's economy.
"The other equally important criteria is
that the cost of a reverse takeover must be
reasonable. If necessary, we will seek a valuation
of any asset-for-share swap on a net tangible
asset (NTA) basis for the new shares to be issued
instead of three month trading price valuations,"
he said.
This NTA valuation basis was
used in the recently signed RM350 million deal
for the State's reverse takeover of The North
Borneo Timbers Bhd (NBT). Sabah Foundation's
investment arm, Innoprise Corporation Sdn Bhd
acquired a 62.46 per cent stake in NBT, following
the issue of 100 million new NBT shares at RM3.50
per share as consideration for the deal, instead
of the initially proposed price of RM8.40 for
each new NBT share.
"These factors are important as commitment
will be required from the listed company for
the long-term benefit of all concerned,"
said Salleh. He also said that most of the State's
operating units will eventually be listed on
the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, and the appointment
of Price Waterhouse last year to audit its 150
odd companies under the Sabah Foundation was
only the first step towards achieving the listing
aim.
So far, two units have been identified for a
direct listing, instead of reverse takeovers.
They are timber processing-based Sinora Sdn
Bhd and the Sabah Land Development Board. Plans
have also been made to consolidate the Sabah
Bank Bhd, Sabah Development Bank Bhd and Sabah
Finance Bhd to turn them into a single financial
supermarket. To do so, the State Government
will buy out the 40 per cent stake in Sabah
Bank still held by Bank Negara.
As a result of the Price Waterhouse audit, now
still ongoing, the Sabah Government had set
up a new holding company Warisan Harta Sabah
Bhd to rationalise its subsidiaries holdings
structure. The ultimate shareholder is to be
a newly set-up entity, Chief Minister's Department
Incorporated (CMD Inc), so as to allow the Sabah
Government flexibility in its corporate endeavours.
"All these plans are
to ensure we will have easy access to the debt
financing market to raise the massive capital
needed for the State's development over the
next few years, as we cannot depend entirely
on the Federal fund allocations for our development
projects.
"The Sabah Foundation has an asset base
running into billions of Ringgit and it is only
logical to corporatise all these assets so as
to maximise its earnings potential," Salleh
said.
17 April 1995:
Analysts hail foundation's RM350m timber deal
The recently signed RM350
million deal between The North Borneo Timbers
Bhd (NBT) and Sabah Foundation's investment
arm, Innoprise Corporation Sdn Bhd, has been
hailed as an excellent compromise by analysts.
"NBT made its biggest
gain by securing the full cooperation and support
of the Sabah Government for all its activities
when it conceded nominal control of its shareholding
to the State," said an analyst.
"This is the key to the
deal, because NBT's activities are mainly located
in Sabah. Thus, for NBT, the question of control
itself is almost a side issue as the company's
operations are still in the hands of its existing
logging and reforestation experts."
"The reappointment of NBT's former chief
executive, James H. Glyn, as its new managing
director is clear evidence of the State Government's
willingness to give these experts full leeway
to decide how the interests of both the company
and Sabah's timber resources can be best served,"
he said.
Further, the foundation's and Innoprise Corporation
chief executive Datuk Musa Aman also said NBT
will eventually provide reforestation expertise
to the Sabah Foundation's entire 972,800ha timber
concession area and assist the Sabah Government
in developing timber downstream activities.
This development is a marked contrast to NBT's
fortunes only a few months ago, when Innoprise
Corporation rejected its initial proposed takeover
of Sabah Softwoods Sdn Bhd and a 100,000ha timber
concession.
Prior to the deal, NBT had
been posting losses for a number of years after
it exhausted its logging concessions, which
expired in 1985. Its main source of income then
had been from its horticultural project in Kota
Tinggi, Johor, exporting decorative plants to
Japan and Europe.
Small contributions also came
from its stake in Sabah Softwoods, a 40:60 joint
venture with Innoprise Corporation set up in
1974 to conduct reforestation activities on
NBT's 60,704ha land in Sabah. NBT had also cultivated
some cocoa, oil palm and rubber on this land.
The sleepy company woke up from its ten-year
lull in September 1994 to announce its proposed
takeover of the remaining 60 per cent stake
in Sabah Softwoods held by Innoprise Corporation.
This was also to mark its return to its flagship
timber business, as the proposal would get NBT
a 162,000ha timber concession.
However, the Sabah Government
decided to reject the proposal on grounds that
it was not beneficial to the State. Sabah Chief
Minister Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said
Keruak said it was essential the State had control
of NBT to ensure the company was diligent in
carrying out its reforestation activities. "It
was understood that reforestation would be the
focus of the deal so as to benefit both the
company and the State in the long-term."
"But, many were worried
that the large timber concession given under
the deal would be a bad move because NBT might
just reap this immediate-term benefit and leave
the reforestation activities by the wayside,"
he said. The Sabah Government would have then
been unable to prevent such a situation from
occurring because Innoprise Corporation would
only have had a 20.3 per cent stake in NBT under
the initial proposal. This was due to the new
NBT shares to be issued to Innoprise Corporation
in return for its 60 per cent stake in Sabah
Softwoods being priced at RM8.40 per new NBT
share.
A second proposal submitted
by NBT had similarly valued its new shares to
be issued at the same price and was consequently
rejected. The final deal found to be mutually
acceptable to both parties valued the new NBT
shares at RM3.50 each, which would result in
Innoprise acquiring a 62.46 per cent stake in
NBT.
NBT will also receive Sabah Softwoods' 100-year
60,000ha timber concession plus another 100-year
concession for 100,000ha logged-over area from
Innoprise Corporation's wholly-owned subsidiary
Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd. For the reverse takeover
to occur and the injection of the timber concession,
NBT will issue 100 million new shares at RM3.50
each to
Innoprise Corporation, thus giving the latter
a 62.46 per cent stake in NBT.
An analyst said this lower
valuation of NBT's new shares will have some
effect on its current traded price, but it should
not breach the RM9.20 technical support level.
"Too much significance should not be given
to the RM3.50 per share valuation given to the
new NBT shares to be issued under the deal -
the Sabah Government is also making a compromise
here," she said.
"The value of the total
160,000ha timber concession area is far higher
than the RM350 million price tag. Also, one
must take note of the RM78.21 million debt owed
to the Sabah Foundation, which is being capitalised
and wiped out."
The recently signed deal includes
the capitalisation of the RM78.21 million owed
by Sabah Softwoods to the Sabah Foundation into
78.21 million new Sabah Softwoods shares, and
all these new shares will be given to NBT as
part of its RM200 million consideration in its
takeover of Sabah Softwoods.
She added that a more significant
effect on the counter's traded price would come
from the large volume of NBT shares expected
to flood the market when Innoprise Corporation
makes a restricted offer of sale of the NBT
shares after the deal is concluded.
"Following the public
offer, NBT shares could be traded at about RM9.50
per share, rising back to over RM11 per share
in the longer term," she said. She added
this is owing to NBT getting a bigger earnings
base from its new activities as compared to
its current losses. Further, the backing of
the Sabah Government is another crucial factor.
16
May 1995: Sabah allocates RM84 million
The Sabah State Legislative
Assembly approved the First Supplementary Bill
1995 involving RM84 million after a short debate.
Tabling the Bill, Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Said Keruak said a total of RM25 million
was needed for the repairing of roads, drainage
system, multi-purpose buildings and other infrastructure
facilities. Another RM10 million would be used
for the upgrading of roads and bridges.
25
May 1995: Improving transport system
Kota Kinabalu needs a proper,
efficient and modern transport system in order
to become a city, Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak said. He said
the transport service in the town is far from
satisfactory and needs to be improved to meet
demand of residents.
"We are aware of the
problem and the respective authorities are planning
a modern and efficient transport system to meet
the demand of residents in the town," he
said after launching the Syarikat Tuaran United
Transport (TUT) Sdn Bhd in Kota Kinabalu.
The State Government has fixed
1997 as the target year for Kota Kinabalu to
attain city status. Salleh said, to become a
city, Kota Kinabalu should avoid problems faced
by most cities in South East Asia, especially
the traffic congestion.
30 May 1995: Salleh:
Don't be pythons
Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak urged the people
of Sabah to work harder and not be like pythons,
which eat and then sleep. "We should not
be like the python which eats whatever it can
eat and then sleeps for a long period,"
he said when launching the state-level Kaamatan
Festival in Penampang.
Salleh, who is also the State
Finance Minister, suggested new approaches like
discussions on new agriculture technology to
be included in the celebration programme. He
said this would benefit the farmers who are
the focus of the Harvest festival. Kaamatan
or the harvest festival is celebrated in the
month of May and begins at the village level
before culminating in the two-day state-level
celebrations at the end of the month.
22 June 1995: Non-performing
agencies
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk
Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak said the
state Finance Ministry has been asked to prepare
an updated report on state agencies that are
not performing well. He said he wanted to know
the problems faced by these agencies and the
solutions to overcome them. He did not want
these agencies, which were making losses, to
continue spending money to maintain their operations,
he told reporters after attending a briefing
on Cement Industries (Sabah) Sdn Bhd (CIS) at
Sepangar Industrial Estate, about 30km from
Kota Kinabalu.
Salleh, who is also state
Finance Minister, said he had given his officers
one month to come up with the reports. He also
wanted to know whether these non-performing
agencies still pay unnecessary allowances or
salaries to their chairmen, board directors
and staffs.
8 August 1995:
“There's now a real Govt in Sabah,”
says Salleh
When Datuk Haji Salleh Tun
Mohamad Said Keruak was appointed Chief Minister
of Sabah, he promised Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Dr Mahathir Mohamad to deliver a ‘real
Government’ in the state, which has for
years seen economic decline due to political
instability. Seven months later, Salleh is able
to say with full confidence that he has kept
his promise.
"This was what the Prime Minister said
to me in his own words: ‘Salleh, I want
you to deliver a real Government in Sabah’.
In the limited time that I had, I have delivered
a real government that I promised the Prime
Minister," he said in an interview at his
office in Kota Kinabalu.
He said that, for the first time, there was
accountability and transparency in the state
government and along with it political stability
and business confidence, which had eluded the
state for a long time.
It is evident too that the people of Sabah are
now not that preoccupied with politics or politicking;
there is now greater urgency among civil servants
to get things done while political leaders are
taking the cue from their hardworking boss by
cutting the jazz and the trappings of high office.
Salleh frankly admitted that he is uncomfortable
with too much power being vested in the office
of the Chief Minister and he has been willingly
"giving away some of the powers."
He has also kept another promise he publicly
made when he took office - to rid Sabah of timber
politics.
The Chief Minister, as Minister of Natural Resources,
has the sole power of approving timber concessions
in the state but Salleh relinquished the power
which is now collectively shouldered by the
entire Cabinet and even so, only through a tender
system.
Pointing to the Chief Minister's chair from
across the settee where the interview was held,
he said, "You are right to describe the
chair as the seat of power but it can also be
the seat of corruption."
In yet another confession, he said, "The
powers of Chief Minister of Sabah, like the
Chief Minister of Sarawak, are not the same
as those of the Menteris Besar or Chief Ministers
in Peninsular Malaysia where the powers are
limited."
"I can be very rich holding this office
but no, thank you. My conscience is very clear
on this. The Government under my leadership
is very accountable and transparent," he
added.
"I'm giving away powers which are legally
mine as Chief Minister but for the good for
the state this has to be done."
His moderate style and open
system of administration belie his firmness
when it comes to making decisions, including
unpopular ones.
"When I decide, I'm very
firm," he added.
3 September 1995:
Businessmen find Salleh's leadership refreshing:
Lin
A prominent Malaysian banker
has given full marks to Chief Minister Datuk
Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak for his
leadership of Sabah, saying he has given businessmen
and investors a new-found confidence to put
their money in the once-politically unstable
but resource-rich state.
"Sabah is now doing well
in the sense that there is confidence. Investors
who are already there feel very optimistic,
while those who want to get into Sabah have
found a new confidence, thanks to the present
Chief Minister," said Tan Sri Dr Lin See
Yan, the former Deputy Governor of Bank Negara
and now executive chairman of Pacific Bank.
Dr Lin, who made two trips to Sabah recently,
said he had talked to numerous businessmen and
investors and all found Salleh and his policies
"very refreshing", given the state's
"colourful past".
"The Chief Minister not
only has come out with new policies, hut he
is also very open. Investors like this type
of open Government because not only is he prepared
to listen but he is also prepared to change
and not afraid to change," he said in an
interview.
"They feel this freshness the Chief Minister
has brought into his office, this openness,
this willingness not only to listen but to take
into account businessmen's views. I have been
hearing only good things about the Chief Minister,"
he said.
He said the present business confidence in Sabah
was not there in the past and this was why both
existing and potential investors he met were
anxious that there was continuity in political
stability and sound policies.
But Dr Lin, who served Bank Negara for 34 years
until last September, including the last 14
years as its No. 2 man, admitted that the question
of the impending rotation of the Chief Minister's
post was uppermost in the minds of the Sabah
business community at the moment.
"Obviously, businessmen being businessmen,
are not taking political positions but the only
problem they find, which is very important to
clarify right now to enable them to make decisions,
is whether existing policies would continue
(should the rotation be implemented),"
he added.
Asked to elaborate, Dr Lin
said that while the Federal Government's view
or thinking on the rotation issue was already
well-known, local businessmen were anxious to
know the Sabah politicians' views on the matter,
including from Salleh himself and other party
leaders who are inline for the Chief Minister's
post.
Going by rotation, Salleh, who became Chief
Minister last December to fill the slot for
the Muslim Bumiputeras, is scheduled to end
his term in March next year. The post is expected
to be rotated between party leaders from two
other major communities - the Chinese and non-Muslim
Bumiputeras - before the term of the Barisan
Nasional State Government expires in
1998.
To a suggestion that a change
of personality would inevitably lead to a change
of policies, he replied, "They could live
with rotation and they could live with a change
from rotation but what is important is consistency
of policies.
He added, "By and large they want the present
Chief Minister to continue. The general feeling
is that he is good and he should continue but
businessmen are not making a political judgment
about the rotation."
18 September 1995:
Plan to chart Sabah's economy for next 15 years
Prolonged dependence on primary
products has made Sabah's economy vulnerable,
Chief Minister Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak said. He said this was due to the
wide fluctuations in global commodity prices
and the uncertain economic conditions of the
major economies.
"For too long, the state's economy has
been heavily dependent on exports of primary
and minimally processed commodities," he
said at the Malaysia International Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (Micci) (Sabah Branch)
Annual Luncheon in Kota Kinabalu.
Salleh said although efforts had been made to
diversify the state economy since the early
eighties, the targeted structural shift had
been slow, with insignificant achievement. As
such, he said the Government had formulated
Outline Perspective Plan for Sabah (OPPS) to
chart the direction of the state's economic
development over the next 15 years. The ultimate
objective of the OPPS was to create an internationally
competitive, vibrant and industrialised Sabah
by the year 2020, he said.
Salleh said, in 1970, Sabah
had the second highest GDP per capita in the
country but, in 1990, the state had slipped
to tenth position behind Sarawak and most of
the other states in Peninsular Malaysia. He
said the economic growth in the state had not
been consonant with the bullish national economy,
registering only 5 per cent real GDP growth
compared to the current national 8 per cent
real GDP growth.
"The approach that we
must take to transform Sabah's economy towards
a high sustainable rate of growth must be bold
and laced with the highest level of commitment
from all sectors," he said.
Salleh added that the Government
welcomes the initiative of the private sector
to work alongside the Government as partners
in efforts to stimulate the economy. Such initiative
is vital, as it will benefit the state through
partnership in undertaking joint venture projects,
he said.
12 October 1995:
Call to find ways to stabilise timber prices
Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Said Keruak called on timber trade policy
makers to find ways to stabilise prices of tropical
timber for the export market. He said the current
downward trend in export prices of timber and
timber products had dramatically affected earnings
of exporters and importers alike.
"I am sure with close and sincere cooperation
between producers and importers of tropical
timber, you can enhance trading at fair and
reasonable prices for mutual benefits and stability
of the timber industry," he said when opening
the 8th Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Tropical
Timber Organisation (ATTO) in Kota Kinabalu.
He also called on the meeting
to discuss other changes that were facing the
timber industry in the Asia-Pacific region as
the timber supply environment had undergone
many major changes and pressures. In Sabah itself,
he said, the forest resources are facing increasing
demand from the timber industry and this trend
will continue whereas in accordance with the
state's policy of sustainable forest management
with strict environmental code, the total area
for harvesting will be very much reduced.
"This trend is predicted to continue over
the foreseeable future and with the projected
increase in demand and supply shortages, the
basic structure of the timber products industry
in this region will be affected," he said.
As such, he said, the timber
industry will have to face many challenges not
only in reduced supply but also in terms of
trade barriers and tariffs resulting from trade
agreements and long-term uses of timber products
because of improved technology.
Salleh said Sabah had over many decades practised
a consistent policy of maximising returns from
its timber resources and had progressively encouraged
the local processing of timber industries.
13 October 1995:
Sabah's privatisation plan
Sabah is drawing up a 10-year
master plan for the privatisation of government
agencies, its Chief Minister Datuk Haji Salleh
Tun Mohamad Said Keruak said. "The master
plan will help the private sector determine
speedily and efficiently the areas they are
interested in," he said during the opening
of a forum on privatisation organised by the
Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Kota
Kinabalu.
Salleh said the private sector
is encouraged to put forward proposals. He added
that the State Government hopes to privatise
most of its business operations and to seek
a listing on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange
for its profitable companies to enable them
to expand their operations and get bigger sources
of funds.
17 October 1995:
Work closer with Federal officers, urges Salleh
The presence of Federal officers
from the peninsula in Sabah should not be viewed
as interfering in the affairs of the State,
Chief Minister Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak said. He said the people, particularly
State civil servants, should be receptive to
the presence of Federal officers and consider
them as partners in efforts to develop the State.
"Irrespective of which State we come from
we are all Malaysians who share the same vision,"
he said when launching an orientation programme
for 44 Federal officers posted to Sabah at the
Shahbandar resort here today. Advising the people
to be more open towards Federal officers, Salleh
said the perception that they (Federal officers)
were posted to Sabah to
"colonise" the State should be discarded.
He said there should be more
interaction between State and Federal officers
to further enhance mutual understanding. "State
and Federal officers should work closely so
that whatever task entrusted to them are implemented
speedily and successfully."
Federal officers should also make it a point
to get to know the local community and understand
their cultures because good knowledge about
the State and its people would enable them to
discharge their duties more effectively. Salleh
said the passport ruling for Malaysians visiting
Sabah should not be an obstacle in promoting
national integration.
"What matters is the sincerity in accepting
each other as part of a united Malaysia,"
he said.
21 December 1995:
Sabah laying foundation for a financial supermarket
Two banks in Sabah will be
restructured and injected into an unlisted company,
which will then seek a listing on the Kuala
Lumpur Stock Exchange main board, possibly by
the middle of 1996. The move to restructure
The Sabah Development Bank Bhd (SDB) and Sabah
Bank Bhd (SBB), the two largest state-owned
development and commercial banks, forms part
of the state's master plan to create a financial
supermarket.
Announcing this today, Sabah Chief Minister
Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak said
the two banks would be absorbed into TPB Holdings
Bhd. "The move is line with the aspiration
of the state's corporate master plan which among
others aims to create a financial conglomerate
or supermarket," he said during a luncheon
in Kota Kinabalu organised by the Sabah Journalists
Association (SJA).
Salleh, who is also the patron of SJA, held
a two-hour closed door meeting with the press
where he said that since early this year, the
State Government started the ball rolling for
the formation of a financial supermarket. It
will enable some of those entities in the supermarket
to qualify for listing, facilitate broader equity
participation, have greater funding avenues
and wider corporate opportunities and ventures.
Salleh, who will go on a month's
leave from tomorrow, said Bank Negara has approved
the restructuring of SDB and SBB. The corporate
and listing proposals will be submitted to the
Securities Commission and other regulatory bodies
before the Christmas holidays.
From next year, Salleh said, the State Government
will implement the guidelines for the issuing
of scholarships to qualified students to pursue
their studies. Under the guidelines, Muslim
Bumiputeras and non-Muslim Bumiputeras will
be allocated 35 per cent of the scholarship
fund and non-Bumiputeras 20 per cent. Allocation
of the balance of 10 per cent will be determined
by the Chief Minister.
He said the guidelines will include scholarships
issued by state-owned Yayasan Sabah, which is
allocating a substantial amount to sponsor students
pursuing their studies at the secondary school
level in Peninsular Malaysia and universities,
both in and outside the country.
"I hope with the guidelines, criticisms
that scholarships are being monopolised by certain
communities will not be raised anymore,"
he said. He added that the 10 per cent of scholarships
allocated to the Chief Minister for approval
would not be issued indiscriminately as he will
abide by the criteria recommended by the Scholarship
Selection Committee.
The guidelines are a clear manifestation of
the Government's intention to be fair to all
communal groups in the state based on their
racial composition and the understanding of
their leaders during the formation of Malaysia,
he added.
27 December 1995:
Salleh returned as PSBB head
Chief Minister Datuk Haji
Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak has been returned
unopposed as president of the Sabah Bajau Arts
and Cultural Association (PSBB) for another
two-year term. PSBB spokesman Said Hinayat said
the announcement was made during the association's
annual delegates conference held here today
by its chairman, Mohammad Shah Salleh.
Said said, Salleh was returned
unopposed as there was no other nomination for
the presidency post. He said since Salleh took
over the leadership of the PSBB in 1986 the
spirit of unity evolved even stronger among
members.
1 February 1996:
Banks remain under Sabah control: Salleh
Sabah Bank Bhd and Sabah Development
Bank will remain under state government control
despite being injected into TPB Holdings Bhd
for listing in the main board of the Kuala Lumpur
Stock Exchange (KLSE), Chief Minister Datuk
Haji Salleh Said Keruak said today. He said
that on floatation in the KLSE, TPB Holdings
(formerly known as Taman Perusahaan Berat Sdn
Bhd), Sabah Bank and Sabah Development Bank
would primarily be managed by Sabahans.
"The acquisition of Sabah
Bank and Sabah Development Bank will be satisfied
through the issuance of new TPB shares, as a
result of which the shareholders of Sabah Bank
and Sabah Development Bank will be the controlling
shareholders of TPB," he told reporters
after the swearing-in of a new political secretary,
Halik Wahid, at his office in Kota Kinabalu.
He said, in fact, under the proposed scheme,
which forms an integral part of the state government's
plans to set up a financial supermarket, Warisan
Harta Sdn Bhd, the investment arm of the state
government will own 54 per cent of TPB. "State
government agencies will own approximately another
nine per cent of TPB. Therefore, it is clear
that the control of TPB as well as Sabah Bank
and Sabah Development Bank will remain in the
hands of Sabahans."
He was asked to comment on recent remarks by
several quarters claiming that the move would
reduce Sabah's interest and control over the
two banks. Salleh said that in order to comply
with the shareholding spread requirement for
listing, TPB would also make a public issue
of 71 million new TPB shares representing about
13 per cent of its enlarged share
capital.
He said among the benefits
of listing Sabah Bank and Sabah Development
Bank through TPB were the access to the capital
markets to fuel the business and financial growth
of both banks as well as creating an opportunity
to expand the operation base of Sabah Bank to
make it a national commercial bank. "It
also enhances the profiles of Sabah Bank and
Sabah Development Bank nationally and hence
increase their corporate marketability,"
he said.
The synergy between Sabah Bank and Sabah Development
Bank will also enhance the competitive advantage
of the two financial institutions in this highly
competitive financial services industry, he
added.
2 February 1996:
Salleh steps in to bail out Sabah again
Cash-strapped Sabah Football
Association (FA) is overdue in paying their
M-League squad salaries for January and has
again turned to the in-coming president, Chief
Minister Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said
Keruak, for help. An FA delegation, headed by
deputy president Anifah Aman, met Salleh at
his office in Kota Kinabalu today to discuss
the problem and to brief him of their development
plans.
According to Anifah, Salleh
- who bailed them out by raising RM300,000 to
settle outstanding salaries last September -
gave an assurance he will look into the matter.
He said Salleh assured them that they will have
the money required to simultaneously settle
the players' salary arrears for January and
advance this month in two weeks. The FA, it
was learnt, decided to simultaneously pay the
players' salaries for January and February in
view of the coming Chinese New Year and Hari
Raya.
It looks like Salleh, who
will only officially assume the FA presidency
in March, will have to shoulder the heavy responsibility
of raising the FA's estimated RM4.8 million
budget this season. Salleh had, when accepting
nomination for the presidency, said he wanted
to contribute in terms of ideas to develop soccer
in the State. But it is certainly evident that
the FA wanted Salleh not only for his leadership
but his ability to raise funds.
Stressing the need for the FA to spend within
their limit, Salleh had called for more prudent
management. But Anifah, in acceding to the pay
hike causing the budget to balloon this season,
said Salleh was happy with the way the FA were
being run.
17 February 1996:
Salleh: Don't exercise power merely for short-term
gains
Power should not be used as
a means to satisfy self-interests and to achieve
short-term gains at the expense of future generations,
Chief Minister Datuk Haji Salleh Said Keruak
said. "We all have power to shape our future
and destiny. We must, however, exercise this
power responsibly," he said in his Chinese
New Year and Hari Raya message released today.
Salleh, whose term of office
will end on March 17 if the pledge to rotate
the Chief Minister's post is implemented, said
any abuse of responsibility would affect future
generations. "If we are going to prepare
our children, our grandchildren and the yet-to-be-born
to succeed in meeting the coming challenges,
we have to start preparing now," he said.
The people of Sabah, he said, were still lagging
in so many aspects and the State Government
was committed to enhance their livelihood. The
Government realised that it cannot expect miracles
to happen if the people were not united and
shared similar vision.
Salleh said there was no doubt that a lot has
been achieved since the Barisan Nasional took
over the State. As a result of political stability
and improved State-Federal relations, he said
there had been marked improvement in the State's
economy, education, infrastructural development
and the overall well-being of the people. He
called on the people to use the Chinese New
Year and Hari Raya celebrations as an occasion
to reflect on what can be learned from each
other's great cultural traditions.
"We should incorporate some features of
these great cultural and religious traditions
to be used as basis for the development of Bangsa
Malaysia," he said. As inheritors of great
civilisations and cultural traditions, Malaysia
has all the ingredients needed to build a strong,
resilient and successful nation.
3 May 1996: Yong
to be next Sabah chief minister
Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak has tendered his resignation as
Sabah chief minister. Sabah Progressive Party
president Datuk Yong Teck Lee is expected to
succeed him under a rotation system promised
by the Barisan Nasional (BN) during the state
elections in 1994.
Salleh, who is the Sabah Umno
chief, confirmed today that he submitted his
resignation letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The undated letter was
sent "sometime ago". It is now up
to Dr Mahathir to effect the resignation by
informing the Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri, said
Salleh.
6 May 1996: There
will be smooth transfer of power in Sabah: Salleh
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk
Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad Said Keruak, who is
to give up the post under a rotation scheme,
has given an assurance that there will be a
smooth transfer of power. He hopes there will
be no feeling of anxiety among the people on
the latest political developments in Sabah,
which will soon see a new chief minister.
12 May 1996: No
crisis will arise over rotation: Salleh
Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak, who has tendered his resignation
as Sabah Chief Minister to Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said today no political
crisis will arise if the Chief Minister's post
is rotated. Salleh tendered his resignation
to fulfil the pledge made by Dr Mahathir to
rotate the post of Chief Minister every two
years among the three major races in Sabah -
Malays, Chinese and Kadazans.
27 May 1996: Yong
sworn in as CM
SABAH Progressive Party (Sapp)
president, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, was sworn in
as the Sabah Chief Minister before the Yang
DiPertua Negeri, Tan Sri Sakaran Dandai, at
the Istana in Kota Kinabalu at 10.00am today.
According to the Yang DiPertua
Negeri's confidential secretary, Haji Harith
Haji Yahya, only Yong was sworn in at the ceremony
to take over from Datuk Haji Salleh Tun Mohamad
Said Keruak. "It is up to the new Chief
Minister to decide and advise us when his (state)
Cabinet members will be sworn in," he told
reporters at the Istana.
