KOTA KINABALU, 5 May 2009: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today expressed the hope that the ongoing civil suit over the construction of the aborted Goddess of the Sea (Mazu) statue in Kudat will be settled out of court.
“I always hope for settlement out of court,” he told a news conference here.
He was asked whether there was a need to settle the case amicably in light of his 1Malaysia concept.
“The door is always open for us to sit down and talk about it,” said Najib.
The issue turned into a court battle when former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat filed a suit against current Chief Minister Musa Aman and three others over the state’s decision to rescind the approval given to build the statue.
In his originating motion filed on 12 Dec last year, Chong is seeking a court order to revoke the withdrawal of the letter of approval issued by the Kudat Town Board on 15 Nov 2007.
He is also seeking a declaration that the letter of approval issued by the Kudat Town Board on 8 Feb 2006 is valid and binding on all the parties. — Bernama
