KOTA KINABALU – Former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has taken some ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders to task for apparently turning their backs on their demands for Sabah rights after coming to power.
He named Deputy Chief Minister II Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan and nominated assemblyman Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee as among those who were once vocal in calling for state rights, autonomy and an end to illegal immigrant woes when they were opposition leaders.
Shafie, who is Warisan president and Semporna MP, said that after winning the polls last year, their calls seem to have diminished.
He added that GRS leaders are still very much dependent on the federal government now despite harping on autonomy and criticising Shafie’s administration when he was chief minister.
“They used to hold sit-in protests to end the illegal immigrant problems,” he said. “They had also accused Warisan as being PTI (illegal immigrant) friendly.”
Despite one of GRS’ own parliamentarians, Ranau MP Jonathan Yassin, being the deputy home affairs minister, they have still not solved the illegal immigrant problem, he said.
“Jeffrey also used to claim that whatever (terms) in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 would be fulfilled (when he come to government). But I don’t hear any of it now.
“At least when we (Warisan Plus) were in power, we had managed to get 17 of the demands for state rights realised,” Shafie said during a live show called Unity Talk last night.
Shafie was responding to a question on the performance of GRS since it took power close to six months ago.
Drawing comparisons between GRS and his own Warisan Plus government, which had lasted 26 months, Shafie said his administration had been successful in implementing the 5% sales tax on petroleum products.
He pointed out that the GRS government expects to collect over RM1 billion from the sales tax this year.
“The sales tax was never done by any Sabah chief minister before, but it was done during my time,” he said.
The Senallang assemblyman also laid credit over the launch of the RM7 billion Lok Kawi Resort City by GRS recently, saying the large-scale project had already been finalised during his time in office.
He also noted a RM3 billion investment from KTS Group to build a resort near Lok Kawi Resort City, as well as some RM12 billion by investors from Europe in Sipitang’s oil and gas industry, which effectively ended the state’s heavy reliance on logging as a source of revenue by imposing stricter laws on the timber industry.
Shafie said he was not dependent on the federal government’s help when he was chief minister, saying he was able to monetise on the state’s vast land assets to garner investments.
He added that he has not heard of the state’s civil service getting salary rises under the present government. When he was in power he had promoted senior officers so they could get better perks, and sent some officers to enhance their know-how by attending short courses in prestigious universities like Cambridge.
“With the increase in salary, the officers would not be tempted to accept bribes,” he explained.
“I also had the intention to increase the assemblymen’s funds to RM5 million, so they would no longer have to collaborate with private sectors to get things done.
“This is because the assemblymen would have the money. I was also thinking of raising the salary of elected reps, from RM7,000 a month.
“I wanted the elected reps to look after the people. They can’t do that if they don’t have money,” said Shafie, adding that he was managing a RM3.7 billion fund and had spent around RM50 million a year while in office. – The Vibes, March 25, 2021
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