Kandau reading one of the statements made by Leonardus published in a local newspaper in 2010 to the 31 community leaders attending the meeting at his office.
KENINGAU: Fourteen village heads from Mukim Apin-Apin led by native chief Alexander Kandau has asked Victor Leonardus to withdraw his three remarks published in two local newspapers (not the Borneo Post) in 2009, 2010 and early this month.
Kandau described Leonardus’s statements were baseless and fabricated deliberately to tarnish the image and reputation of the village heads, including himself as the native chief in the area.
Speaking to reporters after presiding over a meeting with village chiefs, Native Chief representatives and Village Development and Security Committee chairmen of 14 villages in Apin-Apin and from the villages of Ambual, Sedomon, Binaong and Baginda, he said the community leaders were very upset with the false statements.
He said the 31 community leaders who attended the meeting yesterday had unanimously decided that Leonardus withdraw his three statements.
“We want Leonardus to retract the statements within one week from now. If he fails to do so, legal action will be taken against him.
“I have talked to a lawyer to take action on Leonardus’ statements and the lawyer has advised me to give him (Leonardus) one week to retract them through publishing in the local media,” he said.
Leonardus claimed in a statement published in a local newspaper on November 9, 2009 that the 14 villagers in Kampung Kikiran Apin-Apin had lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption commission (MACC) alleging irregularities in the division of village lots.
He said they had appealed to the commission to conduct an investigation into the allocation of lots apparently conducted illicitly by the village authorities.
“We discovered that the lots have been sold to outsiders who do not even reside in the village,” said Victor, a former village chief of Kikiran.
Leonardus’ statement which appeared in the same newspaper dated December 16, 2010 claimed that a total of 450 villagers in Apin Apin had urged the government to act on the encroachment of the grazing reserve in Apin Apin.
He claimed that the grazing reserve seemed to have been a source of profit to certain individuals.
“The village authority has offered lots of land to other people, and the population has evidence on it,” he said.
The latest statement by Leonardus in a local newspaper dated January 11, 2013 claimed that about 6,000 villagers near Apin-Apin were unhappy after the government purportedly gave approval to certain individuals to build a project on their village grazing reserve ground.
The 400-acre land is located some 18km from Keningau and situated next to the main road, which is used by 11 villages.
Leonardus alleged that the 400-acre grazing ground was seen to be cleared by some people, who later claimed they have received approval for the project.
He claimed that the land had been sold to outsiders to construct a plant to build coffins.
Kandau said that whatever claimed by Leonardus was a big liar because there was no dispute over the land from 14 villages in Mukim Apin-Apin.
“For Leonardus’ knowledge the area of 156.2 acres has been approved by the government as a grazing reserve area to be divided among the villagers from Mukim Apin-Apin after waiting for nearly eight years, from 1998 until 2005. The matter has been settled,” he said.
“He must withdraw all his unfounded allegations and accusations in his three statements published in the local newspapers in 2009, 2010 and 2013 within one week. Failing to do so, Leonardus will have to face legal action.
“I use the term traffic lights to remain silent for the green and yellow colors, but the third time, when the light turns red, I cannot just keep quiet and sit still and have to take action against Leonardus’ unethical action, hurling accusations without checking,” Kandau said.