KOTA KINABALU – The family members of the late Datuk Peter Mojuntin are convinced the Malaysian version of the Double Six investigation report is incomplete, citing gaps in the report such as the lack of a forensic report and flight recorder data to paint a full picture of what may have caused the fatal air crash in 1976.
Describing the report as a letdown, Datuk Donald Mojuntin opined that the federal government should go deeper into the case by setting up a fresh inquiry into the tragedy aside from compelling the Australian government to release their version of the probe.
He said these efforts hopefully would end all the conspiracy theories surrounding the air crash which saw half of the Sabah cabinet perish in that fateful flight home.
The Double Six tragedy has changed the political landscape of Sabah. It changed a lot of things.
“We came to understand, they were from Labuan. The federal government at the time thought Sabah would sign the oil agreement. But they didn’t. I think the (then) chief minister (Tun Fuad Stephens) and the rest of the Sabah ministers did not agree with the 5% oil royalty.
“So the state thinks it is unfair, so they need to renegotiate. But the accident happened.
“Immediately (after their passing), a new cabinet was formed and the agreement was signed.
“So what do you expect the people of Sabah to think? Sabah leaders today from both the ruling and opposition are demanding the 5% royalty to be raised as the development in the state is very poor.
“But, they are still begging. It is like we are asking for donations from the federal government to give Sabah enough allocation so the state could be developed equally like other states in Malaysia,” he told reporters when met at the late Peter Mojuntin’s house today.
Also present were the widow of Peter, Datin Nancy Mary Mobijohn and his son, Charles Peter Mojuntin.
The investigation report on the Sabah Air Nomad N-22B 9M-ATZ crash was made public on Tuesday by the Transport Ministry following declassification on April 6.
It cites “unusual” technical difficulties as the cause, and concluded that miscalculations surrounding the centre of gravity involving the aircraft’s tail were the “probable cause” of the accident that killed then Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens and 10 others.
Donald also felt that it was not right to blame the pilot for causing the crash as he believed the report may be incomplete.
The findings of the report, he said, do not provide a solid reason for the federal government needing to have it classified.
“If the government really wants to do it (classifying documents) there must be a bigger reason for doing it, such as issues of public interest or security. I feel the report is incomplete.
Where is the forensic report, what happened to the black box? I heard witnesses also telling me they heard an explosion before the aircraft crashed. Why was this not mentioned in the report – when the report accounts witnesses indicating the pilot was not feeling well before the flight?” he questioned.
Donald said he also had been pressed by others to take action against entities or individuals that might be responsible for the crash, but decided there were not enough details at this point of time.
“I think it is unfair to blame a single person – the pilot. I don’t believe the pilot’s calibre was as what he has been referred to in the probe.
“This is half of the state cabinet onboard the aircraft so the authorities must ensure their safety and it should be of utmost importance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Peter’s widow, Nancy said there was nothing new about the declassified report when asked about her view, adding that she had expected new details of the crash would be revealed.
I thought the report would be fantastic. It would contain information we have never heard before. But I think now it is just the same bedtime story we have been hearing all these years,” she said.
Nancy also believed she would never be able to get closure, saying the whole announcement was just merely a gimmick for news and an attempt to make the victims’ families happy.
“I don’t think so (that I will get a full closure). It is okay, we will just try to get by and be happy. I know you cannot get everything in this world,” she said. – The Vibes, April 13, 2023
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