Nancy (second from left) receiving the report from Ewon, while Donald (right) and Charles (left) look on.
KOTA KINABALU (April 13): Families of the “Double Six” plane crash victims are imploring the federal government to ask the Australian government to declassify their report on the ill-fated flight on June 6, 1976 that killed several members of Sabah Cabinet, including the then Chief Minister, Tun Fuad Stephens, and share it with them.
The GAF Nomad aircraft was bound for Kota Kinabalu from Labuan when it crashed in Sembulan.
Datuk Donald Mojuntin, who is the eldest son of former Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister, the late Datuk Peter Mojuntin, who was one of those who perished in the incident, said that the families of those who died in the crash want to find peace and the people of Sabah feel the same way as the affected families.
“Why not we implore and press the Federal Government because the Federal Government of today is not the same as years ago.
“It is justifiable for the families to ask for further probe. Try to work government-to-government with Australia.
“We really want to know what happened to the plane. We need the forensic report to dispel. If there is really no conspiracy, dispel it once and for all. If there is, tell us and we shall decide our next course of action after that,” he said to reporters at his family’s house at Kampung Hungab near here on Thursday.
Donald was accompanied by his mother, Nancy Mary Mobijohn and his brother, Charles. They were later joined by Federal Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, who came to hand over a copy of the report on the flight.
Donald added that he was asked if action could be taken on the relevant entities but he opines that it was more important for them to find out more about the crash.
“It is unfair to blame it on a single person — the pilot; So the authorities must ensure the safety of individuals was looked after,” he said.
He also questioned why the Australian government went through great lengths to classify the crash and said that there must be a ‘big reason’ for both the Australian and Malaysian governments to classify it.
“There must have been a reason for both governments to classify. If only the plane was at fault, blame the company; if the pilot, we blame the pilot; if Sabah Air, then them.”
“But now, we don’t know if the report is complete, because a tragedy of that magnitude must have forensic on the wreckage, black box. Even the pilot’s log book was said to have been destroyed by fire,” he said.
He felt that all of this pointed to a conspiracy.
“To hide a report of that magnitude of an accident we cannot accept. We hope the Australian report contains all this — the wreckage, the black box,” he said.
Donald also said that the ‘Double Six’ tragedy had changed the course of Sabah’s history, such as her politics and everything else.
“The Cabinet was wiped out in one evening. It changed a lot of things. A lot of things were impacted. We understand that they were from Labuan; the Federal government had hoped that they would sign the Petroleum Development Act with Petronas. I think the Chief Minister and Cabinet members then did not agree to the five percent, and they must have thought it was unfair and wanted to negotiate,” Donald claimed.
He added that after the accident, there was immediately a new Cabinet formed and the agreement was signed.
“What do you expect Sabah to think?”
He reminded that Sabah leaders have been asking Petronas more than what was signed before because the development in Sabah is lacking compared to the rest of the country.
“Until today, our political leaders are still begging, macam minta sedekah (like beggars), so that Sabah’s development is at the same rate as the other states.”
Donald also said that he is optimistic that they will eventually get the report from the Australian government.
“We thought 40 years ago that we would get the report; 46 years later the report was made public. I think nothing is impossible. Just a matter of time and effort. The government must be serious,” he said.
During the interview, Donald also told members of the media that after reading the 21-page report on the GAF Nomad aircraft crash in Sembulan that killed his father and 10 others, Donald said he wondered why such a straightforward report needed to be classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) in the first place.
Other who died in the accident were the then Sabah Chief Minister, Tun Fuad Stephens, and other state ministers Datuk Salleh Sulong, and Chong Thien Vun, state assistant minister Darius Binion, Sabah Finance Ministry’s permanent secretary Datuk Wahid Peter Andau, Corporal Said Mohammad Mohammad (Fuad’s bodyguard), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s private secretary Isak Atan, pilot Captain Gandhi Nathan and Johari Stephens (Fuad’s son).
“Why is the report classified? Are there other reasons? Is it related to public interest, national interest or to protect certain entities or persons of interest?” he asked.
“Actually we were so happy because the report was being declassified by the Federal Government today. We were so happy. But after the report was made known, we felt dissatisfied. Our first question was why this report, which is so clearly blaming the pilot. We read the report a few times. There is no reason for it to be classified under OSA,” said Donald.
He added that if the government classified it under OSA, it has to be something serious, such as national security or state secrets.”
However, he said there was nothing in the report that merited that.
“So families are thinking why has it been classified for more than 40 years,” he said.
Donald added that instead of finally bringing closure, the report made them ask more questions.
“It did not provide the peace we hoped for,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said that the families involved are grateful to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Federal Cabinet for opening the report to the public even though it has resulted in more questions needing answers.
With regards to the report, Donald stated that it shifted all blame on the pilot or on Sabah Air and felt that it was incomplete due to the absence of the aircraft wreckage’s forensic report and the aircraft black box.
“For me, this report is incomplete and I feel that the other families are also feeling the same,” he said.
He also wondered why the report focused on the pilot’s stomachache and him being unwell.
“I was 11 years old then, but despite that we have heard of many witnesses who are still around saying that there were explosions before the plane crashed into the sea. This was not mentioned in the report. For us the report is incomplete,” he said.
Donald felt that the ‘incomplete’ report was further prolonging their agony.
“It is very painful to lose someone you love but to lose a father at 37 years old is something really bad and I think the same goes with all the families,” he said.
Meanwhile, his mother, Nancy, is less optimistic of ever getting an answer from the Australian side.
“I don’t think I will get an answer. I think it is to make us happy, look forward to something, but no, I don’t think so,” she said.
Nancy also expressed her disappointment on the content of the report.
“When the report came out, I thought it would be fantastic. But now, it is the same old bedtime story.
The same story I have been hearing since 46 years ago. It is nothing new. I thought it was something fantastic,” she said.
Nancy added that her five children were still small when the incident occurred.
“They were very small when their father went. I looked after them. I suppose everything is okay. You cannot have everything in this world,” she said.