Ex-CM Harris sued for surrendering Labuan

A researcher claims that the Sabah government made 'no move to obtain the opinions or a referendum' before handing over Labuan to the federal government.

KOTA KINABALU: A local businessman is suing former chief minister Harris Mohd Salleh for handing over Labuan to the federal government in 1984, which resulted in the island becoming a federal territory.

James Albanus @ Richard, who filed the suit through his counsel Marcel Jude Joseph yesterday, is seeking a declaration that the former chief minister had acted unlawfully in the surrender of the island.

In his statement of claim, Albanus said that during Harris’ tenure, the territory of Sabah had been reduced and its transfer to the jurisdiction of the federal government was undertaken in a hasty manner without consultation of the people of the state or the island.

The businessman, who is involved in researching social and political issues in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, is seeking damages, injunctive relief, cost and interests.

Albanus said, Harris had acted unilaterally and individually without compliance with the relevant constitutional safeguards and also the well-being of Sabahans.

He said that as a result, Sabah had suffered unquantifiable financial and social loss.

Local newspaper, the Daily Express, quoted him as telling the media after filing the suit that he believed one of the main reasons why Sabah is not financially well off as a state was because of the surrender of the island.

Albanus said that the former state secretary, who was at the time acting state secretary, had in correspondence with him said that there had been no move to obtain the opinions, feeling or concern through a referendum on the matter.

He said this information had confirmed “what I had suspected but (was) unable to prove … the transfer was done rashly and there are many unanswered questions.

“It is for this reason and for the people of Sabah that I am taking up this suit against Tan Sri Harris Mohd Salleh,” he said.