KOTA KINABALU – Warisan has criticised Sabah DAP leader Datuk Frankie Poon, reminding him that it was Lim Guan Eng who had said that the government could not realise the 20% oil royalty manifesto and the 40% revenue entitlement for the state when he was finance minister.
Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua Jr recalled the former DAP secretary-general announcing this when the federal government was held by Pakatan Harapan.
Padua claimed Lim made the statement during a party congress but made no mention when and where these matters were mentioned.
He said this in response to Poon’s claim regarding Warisan leaders’ remark that PH did not protect the rights of Sabahans when the coalition was in power.
The 40% revenue entitlement is part of the federal constitutional entitlement while the 20% oil royalty pledge was part of PH’s election manifesto in 2018.
Padua said he was also baffled that Poon was prepared to defend Lim who lives “thousands of kilometres from Sabah” despite the fact that two matters were for developing Sabah and getting rid of poverty in the state.
“In this matter, are Warisan and party president, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal not the ones bearing the brunt of PH’s promises?
“Certainly, Lim never experienced the hardship faced by poor Sabahans.
“Now he could pat Poon’s shoulder for defending him,” said Padua, adding that Lim does not need any Sabah leaders’ help to defend him as he is able to fend for himself.
Towards this end, Padua also reminded Poon that Sabah DAP and PKR leaders had served as cabinet members during the short-lived Warisan-PH-Upko state government.
Poon, he said, was made health and people’s wellbeing minister in the state government.
“What is worse, the PH assemblymen in Sabah who were given the opportunity by Shafie to become cabinet members were insistent about signing an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah led by Bersatu and Umno leaders,” said Padua in reference to the Sabah PH leaders’ plan to emulate a similar MoU signed at the federal level signed on September 13, 2021.
Padua reminded that it was the current leaders in the GRS-BN Sabah government who had attempted to oust the Warisan-PH-Upko government back in 2020.
Out of all these incidents, Padua said Warisan and Shafie had remained steadfast with not being part of PH and did not accept any offers from the ruling parties. – The Vibes, October 3, 2022
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