KOTA KINABALU – Former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman should stay quiet and stop defending himself, said Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin of DAP, after the open letter yesterday.
Musa yesterday issued an open letter saying the people should not blame him or the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government over the surge in Covid-19 cases after the state polls last month.
Chan, who is Sabah DAP secretary, said Musa’s letter blaming former chief minister and Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was obnoxious and demeaning.
“This is especially so when the open letter was issued three weeks after GRS – the loose coalition of Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) – won the state election.
“Enough is enough,” said Chan.
He added Musa’s statement was uncalled for, especially when new Covid-19 cases have passed 800 cases a day, consecutively.
“Isn’t this a clear case of GRS shirking responsibilities? This is not the time for politicking. Musa Aman’s denial of liability right now is not welcomed and does not help in reducing the impact of Covid-19.
“He should take a leaf from former chief minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, who yesterday reminded politicians to focus on tackling the impact of the pandemic, instead of engaging in self-serving politicking.
“What Salleh said is true, that the people are starting to see politicians as being greedy and selfish.
“The people are tired of them politicking 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Right now, the government should start working, not to play the blame game,” said Chan.
Meanwhile, Sabah DAP political education director Adrian Lasimbang said it is a fact that the political fiasco in the state was triggered by Musa and his operatives to lure reps to form a backdoor government.
“What happened after that was the result of Musa’s action. It is a clear-cut situation. Musa did not consider the risk faced by the people after his move.
“The new government has removed the health portfolio, village community management council, village chiefs and native chiefs during the first cabinet meeting. Who is facilitating government assistance in the villages?
“The open letter by Musa is nothing but a desperate attempt to pass the buck to Warisan.
“Just like a thief who tried to steal a chicken, but the chicken got away. Now that the village is awake, the thief blames it on the guard dog for barking too loud,” he said. – The Vibes, October 20, 2020