KOTA KINABALU – Is Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal psyching up to be the next opposition leader of Sabah?
Following Warisan Plus’ polls defeat last Saturday, the former chief minister is expected to throw in the towel and concede defeat.
“There is nothing much to say. Whether he will challenge the results in court? No-lah. The governor has decided. So, I think he is going to let it be,” a party insider said.
Minutes after his successor, Sabah Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor, received his invitation for the swearing-in of the chief minister from Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin this afternoon, Shafie briefly came out of the official chief minister’s residence where he has been since the election ended.
Shafie thanked his supporters but his look as he smiled towards those waiting for him outside the house clearly had the expression of disappointment.
Another source said Shafie will be a “real gentleman” if he conceded the defeat, unlike his political foes.
Warisan Secretary-General Datuk Loretto Padua Jr however indicated that Shafie may not be so magnanimous after all.
“At this point, I can’t say what the president would do,” said Padua, when asked if Warisan would challenge the poll results in court.
“He would likely call the press if he is prepared to talk,” he told The Vibes.
Warisan’s 26-month reign in Sabah after the 2018 general election has been troubled from the start.
A string of suits, including one challenging Shafie’s legitimacy as chief minister by his predecessor Tan Sri Musa Aman, had been filed.
His alliance of Warisan-Pakatan Harapan-Upko, was also shaky due to the crossovers of elected representatives that led to the snap polls.
Warisan lost to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah alliance comprising Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu with 32 to 41 seats. – The Vibes, September 28, 2020
