Parti Warisan Pekan Sandakan chief Stanley Tan Vui Chung (right) defended Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong (centre) following a heated exchange in the Sabah State Assembly over the Esteel project.
KOTA KINABALU: Elopura assemblyman’s brief use of Hakka during a heated exchange in the Sabah State Assembly did not contain any harmful or rude language and should not be seen as a problem, says Parti Warisan’s Pekan Sandakan branch chief.
Stanley Tan Vui Chung said the lawmaker, Calvin Chong, was simply expressing frustration over the delayed progress of the RM31bil Esteel Sabah project and that the use of dialects in the House was not uncommon given Sabah’s multicultural context.
“In Sabah, many elected reps speak in localised Malay mixed with native dialects. What Calvin said in Hakka was not offensive or vulgar in any way,” Tan said in a statement on Tuesday (July 8).
“If it were truly inappropriate, the Speaker would have issued a warning or ordered him out. But instead, both parties were only asked to calm down,” he added.
The confrontation took place on Monday (July 7) when Chong questioned why there was still no visible activity at the Esteel steel plant site in Sipitang, despite repeated announcements that it would be a major catalyst for Sabah’s industrial growth.
Chong also sought clarification on the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) status, land tenure, and the absence of Sabahan directors on the company’s board — and questioned potential overlaps with mineral exploration companies.
Phoong, however, defended the project’s progress, citing signed lease agreements, a RM35mil deposit, a federal manufacturing licence, and a secured gas supply from Petronas and Sabah Energy Corporation. He also said a jetty contract had been awarded to China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).
However, tensions escalated when Phoong criticised Chong for going to the media and lodging a police report instead of formally raising the matter in the House. Phoong had also lodged a police report against Chong.
Tan clarified that Chong had, in fact, prepared documents to speak on the matter in the assembly, but was preemptively accused before getting the opportunity to do so.
“Calvin was speaking up on behalf of the people. That is his duty. Unfortunately, instead of being heard, he was accused of politicising the issue,” he said.
Tan also pointed out that heavy machinery was only seen arriving at the project site about two weeks after Chong filed his police report, and that media coverage on the project’s progress only surfaced in recent days.
“Why the delay? Why only move after being pressured? These are legitimate questions,” he said, adding that asking for transparency does not mean being anti-development.
The Esteel project, first announced at RM19.6bil, has since been revised to RM31bil to include downstream facilities and a deepwater jetty. The government maintains that construction is ongoing in phases.
