KOTA KINABALU – Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal would have been made deputy prime minister had he coveted position over demand for state rights, said Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman.
The Warisan Youth chief added that Sabah Star president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan would not have become deputy chief minister and state Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor would not take the chief minister’s post had Warisan agreed to be part of Perikatan Nasional.
Azis, a former deputy home minister, said he, too, would still hold the position in such a case.
Political ascendancy would be in Warisan’s favour if the party took up with the ruling PN, he said, as the coalition’s chairman and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is close to Shafie.
Muhyiddin has, in fact, identified Shafie as a “brother”, he added.
“If position had been Warisan’s top priority, Shafie might still be chief minister, if not deputy prime minister, during the formation of the PN federal government,” he told a forum titled “Can a power shift happen during the emergency?” last night.
I would like to clarify here that the basis as to why Warisan decided not to be part of PN is because we are not after position and wealth.
“Before the PN government was formed, we asked them to implement Sabah rights, like oil royalty, special revenue entitlement, development and others.
“For us, they can take all the positions, but they need to make us an offer we can’t refuse.”
Azis said Sabah has always been consistent on regaining all of its state rights since the time of the Usno, Berjaya and Parti Bersatu Sabah governments.
However, it ceased during Barisan Nasional’s reign in the state.
Azis pointed out that Sabahans are envious of Sarawak’s consistent fight for state rights.
Sarawak was able to block peninsula-based parties like Umno and Bersatu, he said, and this is due to the way its leaders think, which is different from those in Sabah.
He lamented that Sabah politicians’ “political ego is much bigger than their (Sarawakian leaders’) ego in ensuring the implementation of state rights”, therefore, many are easily enticed by money and positions.
He said this attitude is in stark contrast to that of Sarawak politicians, who did not resort to crossing over when Sarawak was an opposition state during Pakatan Harapan’s time in Putrajaya.
The power shift from PH to PN took place early last year due to crossovers in a month-long political crisis at the federal level.
Azis said Sabah had a shot at regaining all of its state rights when Warisan was at the helm from May 2018 to September last year.
“At least, during our time in power, the Warisan-led Sabah government initiated 17 of the 21 state demands.”
For Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, the current state government, to gain Warisan’s support, he said, all it needs to do is implement the remaining state demands.
Azis said he would be “the first to thank” the state pact if it succeeds at this.
The remaining four demands are oil royalty with petroleum cash payments, control over oil and mineral oil fields, expansion of the Territorial Sea Act 2012, and state rights to the continental shelf. – The Vibes, May 18, 2021
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