Datuk Yong Teck Lee Dropped A Bombshell

Datuk Yong Teck Lee had been on low profile politically for quite a while. Yesterday he made a thunderous comeback by dropping a bombshell to announce his party (Sabah Progressive Party) supporting a vote of no confidence on the prime minister in the coming parliament session on Monday.

Much has been said about Yong's move and the political implications of his no-faith declaration. One thing for sure is that Datuk Yong has his political agenda and, if I read it correctly, it is intended in utmost good faith for the betterment of Sabahans. I am not going to touch any further on it.

Maybe just let me share with you two anecdotes about the flamboyant Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

In 1996 when Tan Sri Dr. Wong Soon Kai was in a straight fight with Wong Ho Leng in Bukit Assek constituency, Datuk Yong Teck Lee flew in in his capacity as CM of Sabah for a day visit to give Tan Sri Dr. Wong his moral support. Despite the stage appearances by several heavy-weights including Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, Soon Kai lost the election by a narrow margin.

During his tenure as CM of Sabah, Datuk Yong Teck Lee convinced DUN (Dewan Undangan Negeri) to buy into a listed company using the state funds with the intention to turn the listed vehicle into a state government's investment arm. After acquisition, the share price slumped from the all-time high of RM30 to below RM8, in the wake of Asian economic crisis. Several ADUNs in the opposition team hit out at Datuk Yong Teck Lee's government for causing huge capital losses to the state. But Yong was fast to refute the allegations, saying the crisis was beyong his control. Fortunately I did not pick up that counter earlier.