Relieved: Faridah and Donald are glad to have closure over crash that killed their fathers.
KOTA KINABALU: Faridah Stephens was looking forward to a busy day of chores when she received a text message on her phone.
It made her drop everything and just sit back to allow the news to sink in.
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The message said that the report on the “Double Six” plane crash – which took the lives of her father, former Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens, and 10 others – would be declassified.
“I could not believe my eyes. I wasn’t expecting the announcement by the Prime Minister,” said Faridah.
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For her and other kin of the victims, it was the first sign of closure in the case.
Fuad and his eldest son Johari Stephens were killed in the crash of the Australian-made Nomad 9M-ATZ aircraft on June 6, 1976.
Others who perished were 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), Syed Hussein Wafa (director of state economic planning unit), Kpl Said Mohammad (bodyguard to Fuad) and pilot Capt Gandhi Nathan.
They were travelling from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu when the aircraft crashed in Sembulan.
Razaleigh, who had been in Sabah to discuss the federal government’s petroleum agreement with the state, had also been scheduled to be on the flight but was called away at the last minute, according to some reports.
Faridah was happy with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement yesterday.
“The last I heard of the matter was that the Attorney General (AG) was going to appeal the decision by Justice Christopher Chin Soo Yin in the Kota Kinabalu High Court on March 8 that the report be declassified.
“I want to say thank you to the Prime Minister and the federal Cabinet for finally agreeing to disclose the report on the crash that killed so many of our loved ones and friends in 1976.
“We have wondered for too long about what happened. This has led to incredible, sometimes crazy, speculation,” she added.
Justice Chin had issued a mandamus order for Putrajaya to take the necessary steps to declassify the report on the tragedy after an application by Tan Sri Harris Mohd Salleh, who succeeded Fuad as chief minister.
Acting for the Chief Secretary, the Transport Ministry and Malaysian government, the AG’s Chambers filed an appeal against the decision on March 10.
Anwar announced yesterday that the full report would be released by the ministry next week, adding that the Cabinet had decided this was in the interest of the victims’ families and the people of Sabah.
Datuk Donald Mojuntin, the son of Peter, was also thankful to the government for “finally doing the right thing”.
“The decision is the one the families of victims have been waiting for, for nearly 47 years. The long wait is finally over.
“The Prime Minister is walking the talk about transparency and openness. He recognises the agony and great sorrow felt not only by the victims’ families but also by most Sabahans.
“Now we can perhaps have complete closure. We certainly hope this will put to rest all the uncertainties and conspiracy theories that have cropped up over the last four decades,” said Donald.
Faridah, however, said there were many more reports in Australia that needed to be made public.
“I just want to see what is in the report (to be released) but I strongly feel this is not final.
“My view is that the Australian government has to agree to declassify all documents it has in regards to the Nomad planes, and the plane that crashed.
“We all have the right to know,” she said.
