KOTA KINABALU – Caretaker Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal last night apologised for the snap election amid the Covid-19 pandemic, putting voters to possible infection.
He said his decision to dissolve the assembly last August was to return the mandate to the people, denying groups who want to seize power.
“With Covid-19, there is a high possibility we might be infected. But the political turmoil and the power grab have forced me to dissolve the state assembly so the people can decide.
“We’re giving the mandate to the people,” he said in a special address via his Facebook page.
The election was triggered after Shafie’s predecessor Tan Sri Musa Aman claimed majority support, mounting a challenge for the chief minister position.
Shafie on July 30 moved to dissolve the state assembly, paving the way for a fresh state election.
The month-long political crisis that saw the federal government change hands from Pakatan Harapan to Perikatan Nasional (PN) had also affected Shafie’s administration.
Since taking power in February, the government led by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin saw Johor, Melaka, Perak and Kedah fell into PN hands via crossovers of assemblymen.
Some 1.09 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot votes tomorrow. – The Vibes, September 25, 2020
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