Veteran parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang had lauded the transparency of the government releasing the investigation report on the fatal 'Double Six' plane crash of 1976, but he said that it should never have been classified in the first place.
"The investigation report into the Double-Six Nomad Crash should never have been classified under the Official Secrets Act and should be been made public 47 years ago in 1976.
"Its declassification reveals no public security aspect to justify its classification under the Official Secrets Act for nearly five decades.
"It should have been made public to explain the tragic death of (then) Sabah Chief Minister Fuad Stephens, three Sabah state ministers and seven other passengers on the flight," Lim said in a statement today.
He said that the classification of the Double-Six Nomad Crash on June 6, 1976, for 47 years had given rise to various theories of political conspiracies, which could have been avoided if the federal government had acted with transparency and accountability in 1976.
The declassified federal investigation report on the crash that killed the 11 people showed no element of sabotage.
It said an inspection of the wreckage determined that the engine was still under power at the time of the crash and the aircraft controls were working. There was also no sign of a fire or explosion.
Instead, the investigating team's conclusion is that the most probable cause of the accident was the plane's centre of gravity being off balance, due to the rear baggage compartment being overloaded.
"It is a lesson that the government of the day, whether federal or state, should practise transparency and accountability among the principles of good governance at all times to secure public confidence.
"What is always needed is a responsible 'check and balance'," said Lim.
The crash had significant ramifications on Sabah politics, in part due to the many high-ranking government officials killed in the crash.
Apart from Fuad, others killed in the crash were state ministers Salleh Sulong, Peter Mojuntin and Chong Thien Vun, as well as Fuad's eldest son Johari Stephens.
Another factor was its timing, as Fuad had just replaced the long-time chief minister Mustapha Harun, 53 days prior to the crash.
On March 8, the High Court in Kota Kinabalu ordered the government to make the report public by June 8, but the issue looked set to drag on further when the government appealed the decision.
However, the situation changed when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on April 5 that the report would be declassified.
“The cabinet took into consideration views expressed by Sabahans all these years, and also demands by the next-of-kin, in line with the government's principle to uphold transparency.
“Therefore, it has been decided that the final report of the Sabah Air crash on June 6, 1976, will be declassified,” Anwar said.
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