KOTA KINABALU: The declassification of the "Double Six" tragedy will end all speculation over the crash that killed five Sabah Cabinet ministers and six others on June 6, 1976, says Datuk Azis Jamman.
The Parti Warisan information chief said the tragedy, which also saw the death of then-chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens, had been a mystery to many Sabahans.
"The Federal Government's decision to declassify the report which killed five Sabah cabinet ministers almost 47 years ago is a step in the right direction," he said in a statement on Wednesday (April 5).
Azis said the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is something many Sabahans will welcome as they have been waiting decades for the report," he said.
He said many Sabahans still remember the tragedy and have been asking what caused the crash since.
Azis said questions and speculation would arise during the annual memorial for those who perished in the accident.
On April 5, Anwar announced that the full report would be released by the Transport Ministry next week.
He said the Cabinet had decided on the matter in the interest of the victims' families and the people of Sabah.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the report would be accepted by the Sabah government whatever it may state.
"The Federal Cabinet's decision to declassify the final report on the Double Six plane crash that killed 11 people – including the Berjaya state government leader Tun Fuad Stephens in 1976 – is a relief," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This is a relief because it will reveal what actually happened that day. It is a relief – not only to the family of those who perished in the plane crash but also to the people of Sabah," he said.
Sabah MCA chief Lu Yen Tung said this was good news for the people of Sabah because it is their right to know what actually transpired that day.
Others who perished in this crash included state ministers Datuk Salleh Sulong, Datuk Peter Mojuntin, Chong Thien Vun, state assistant minister Darius Binion, Sabah Finance Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Wahid Peter Andau, Isak Atan (private secretary to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who was then finance minister), Kpl Said Mohammad (bodyguard to Fuad), pilot Capt Gandhi Nathan and Fuad's eldest son Johari Stephens.
They were on a flight from Labuan when the aircraft crashed in Sembulan while approaching the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
