Harris is suing Shaari over allegations made in the latter’s book “Vendetta and Abuse of Power: Quest for Justice in the Land Below the Wind – Political Vilification Against Syed Kechik in Sabah (1975-2013)”.
He is also suing two others, namely Syed Salem, the younger brother of Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed Al-Bukhary, and MPH Group which published the book in 2014.
According to the portal, Harris claims that Syed Salem is the source of the allegations in the book.
Among the allegations mentioned in the book are that Harris had abused his power as Sabah chief minister and was vindictive in seizing Syed Kechik’s properties in Sabah following Berjaya taking over the Sabah Government.
A lawyer from Kedah, Syed Kechik was said to have been the real force behind former chief minister Mustapha Harun’s iron rule under Usno for nine years until 1976.
As a result, Syed Kechik was said to be regarded as the “most hated man” by Sabahans for many years. Hence, his expulsion from Sabah was a theme of the Berjaya Party’s election campaign in 1976, the Kinabalu Sabah Times reported.
Syed Kechik passed away in 2009 at the age of 81 years.
Berjaya, which swept to power under Fuad Stephens, ended Mustapha’s rule in the Sabah elections in April 1976. However, just two months later, Stephens perished in an air crash and Harris took over as chief minister.
Harris and Syed Kechik were bitter foes. The former had also allegedly resigned twice from the state cabinet, first as finance minister and later as industrial development minister, because of the animosity between both men.
The bitterness culminated after 20 years with a judge ordering the Sabah Government to compensate Syed Kechik RM40 million for 2,500 acres it had seized to build Universiti Sabah Malaysia (UMS). The land was owned by Zara Sdn Bhd, named after Syed Kechik’s eldest daughter.
Zara is married to Syed Kechik’s nephew, Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary, who is currently the richest Bumiputera in Malaysia.
According to Kinabalu Sabah Times, it was also under Harris’ tenure as chief minister that Sabah had revoked the vast timber concessions given to Syed Kechik by the previous government under Mustapha.