PUTRAJAYA – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the Perikatan Nasional (PN) leadership is trying to undermine the state government in Sabah.
Speaking to The Vibes in an interview at his office in Putrajaya, he added that the statewide election in Sabah should not have happened in the first place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is not democratic because the (state) government is a government that is chosen by the people.
“What they are doing is to buy the government, to buy out the government so that they (PN) become the government and this is not the (state) government chosen by the people.
“So, in the first place, these kinds of things should not be done, should not buy out governments. (Datuk Seri) Shafie Apdal found that he was about to lose the (state) government because of his people being bought, he decided that, well, let's go to the people.
“Let the people decide, so this is what he has done,” Dr Mahathir said.
The Langkawi MP alleged that 13 members of the state assembly were being ‘bought’ to cross over to former chief minister Musa Aman, who is also the incumbent Sg Sibuga assemblyman, igniting the crisis in Sabah last July.
Caretaker chief minister Shafie managed to secure an audience with Sabah governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin on July 30 and he was granted the consent to dissolve the state assembly that paved the way for the snap election.
Warisan and Pakatan Harapan (PH) took the helm of the state government in the 2018 general election. At that time, both Warisan Plus and Barisan Nasional (BN) had 29 seats each but the gridlock broke when six BN assemblymen switched sides and joined Warisan, forming the state government.
There were 60 seats contested in 2018 and in the same year, the Sabah redelineation was passed in the Parliament and added 13 new state constituencies. A total of 447 candidates will be contesting in 73 constituencies in the state.
The former premier also commented about the contenders for the state chief minister post and he said the choice is in the hands of the people of Sabah.
He took an opportunity to chide Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who made headlines last year when he cussed openly in a heated exchange in Parliament against Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin.
“There are many other candidates who want to be chief minister. They can contest, it's up to the people to decide. Do you want Shafie or do you want (Datuk Seri) Anifah Aman or you want Bung Moktar or you want anybody, then, you decide.
“If you like Bung Moktar, you know who in Parliament uses dirty words and all that, welcome, because you get what you choose,” he added.
Dr Mahathir continued to say that young people have their own ideas and they are welcomed to compete, but he also mentioned that old people also have the right to compete with the young in politics. He said that there is no such limit for the older generation to be active in politics.
“I am 95, can you tell me you shouldn't vote because you're 95? There is no such rule and they say I'm old and I should retire and all that.
“I have a right under the law to show interest in what happened in this country. I have the right to voice my views, not because I'm old.”
Voters in Sabah will head to polls next week, starting with early voting on Wednesday, September 22 and polling day on Saturday, September 26. – The Vibes, September 19, 2020.
