Declassified 'Double Six' report raises more questions than answers, says Mojuntin's family

KOTA KINABALU: The family of the late Datuk Peter J. Mojuntin, one of the 11 victims killed in the "Double Six" plane crash, felt the much-anticipated investigation report over the incident was a let down.

Datuk Donald Mojuntin, Peter's son, said his family could not fathom why the report had been kept under wraps for 46 years.

"It's a normal report over pilot inexperience or negligence (but) it doesn't indicate anything that would be against the public's interest.

"So why was it classified under the Official Secrets Act?

"I also don't know how to feel. I know some of my family members are really unhappy as they didn't get the closure they thought they would when the report came out.

"It has raised more questions than answers," he said when contacted on Wednesday (April 12).

The report on the tragedy that took place on June 6, 1976, was released by the Transport Ministry earlier on Wednesday.

It did not indicate anything suspicious or controversial other than pilot error contributing to the crash and the airline company's incompetence as well as failure to observe standard operating procedures before flights.

To keep such a report from the public's eye and grieving families for almost five decades is mind-boggling, said Donald.

"Every memorial day on June 6, we go through the same thing – a lot of questions, conspiracy theories and other stuff but this was not put to rest because the report was not published.

"But now it has been declassified, we find there was no justification to put the report under the OSA.

Donald thanked the government for releasing the report but urged the Federal Cabinet to go a step further and investigate why it was kept secret.

"Whose interest was it to protect? What public interest or national security was under threat?

"These are the questions floating around, not only within the families but in Sabah," Donald said.

Besides Mojuntin, the then Sabah local government and housing minister, 10 others including then Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens perished in the fatal crash when the Australian-made Nomad aircraft 9M-ATZ they were flying from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu went down in Sembulan here.