Former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee finds the actions of two Sabah DAP leaders, Chan Foong Hin and Phoong Jin Zhe, amusing. These leaders were recently awarded state honours and granted “Datuk” titles by the Governor. Yong advises the Sabah DAP leaders to accept the awards without concerning themselves about the opinions of their DAP masters in the peninsula.
Yong suggests that if the leaders genuinely could not accept the awards, they should respectfully explain their reasons to the Chief Minister and the Governor, clarifying that their decision is not meant to be disrespectful or ungrateful. Yong himself declined a Seri Panglima Darjah Kinabalu (SPDK) title, the highest honour in the state, in 2020 by informing the then-chief minister Tan Sri Osu Sukam and the then-Governor Tun Sakaran Dandai.
Chan, who serves as the state Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister, and Phoong Jin Tze, who is the state Industrial and Entrepreneur Development Minister, may have to answer to the DAP’s central working committee, as stated by party secretary-general Anthony Loke. The DAP policy only permits retired members to accept honours from state or federal governments.
In 2018, three Sabah DAP leaders, namely the late Datuk Stephen Wong, Datuk Frankie Poon (currently Sabah DAP chairman), and Datuk Jimmy Wong, accepted similar titles. At that time, the party leaders accepted their apology.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
