KOTA KINABALU – Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has revealed that he tried his best to fight for the position of prime minister but was hindered as he was not the sole candidate in the opposition bloc.
The Semporna MP said that he tried to win support from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), but he was not in a good position to persuade them with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the picture.
“I tried. I spent a long time helping Sarawak (before), building infrastructure, I know them (Sarawak leaders) well. But of course, it was not easy (to persuade them) when you don’t have the initial endorsement from the opposition group.
“I could have been in a better position to speak to them if the (opposition) block nominated me,” said the former Sabah chief minister and cabinet member.
Shafie was speaking to comedian Harith Iskander during an online talk show named “What’s Going on Malaysia?” last night.
He also said that GPS is not comfortable with certain groups under the same political umbrella as Warisan, but that the situation can be fixed for the sake of future cooperation.
“What is important is we look beyond parties for the betterment of the country. I did try,” he said.
Shafie also said the situation would have been different if he was the sole opposition candidate for the prime minister’s position.
“It could have been done. There are colleagues from Bersatu, Umno and some from Sarawak (who would support me). It could have been otherwise.
“But it is a done deal anyway. I am not obsessed with becoming a prime minister. I just thought that it is time that we have a representative from (East Malaysia),” he said, stressing that being elected would have been based on his merit as he has served the country for over 30 years.
“We have seen prime ministers coming from Kedah, Pahang, Penang, Johor. Why not from Sabah and Sarawak?” he said.
However, Shafie said there is still hope in the next election due in September 2023.
“It is a done deal, but we can unwind this in the next election,” he said.
Meanwhile, in answering a question from viewers, Shafie said the opposition had rejected Muhyiddin’s seven reform proposals during his last days in office, including introducing the anti-party-hopping law, because they could not trust him.
“Look at Undi18, it had been passed in Parliament. It was already approved, but then suspended by the government of the day,” he said on the legislation lowering the voting age to 18.
“I don’t know about other parties in Pakatan Harapan, but I was not called to discuss with Muhyiddin before he laid out the reformation proposal. We (Warisan) were not consulted. Now that you spell it out, the public are blaming us for not accepting (the proposals).
“How do we know the content of the proposal? The trust is not there. If you want to propose something, you must earn our trust,” he said.
The interview session ended with Shafie saying the way forward for Malaysia is for everyone to be united. He expressed hope that the people will vote for a government that is sincere in prioritising human lives, and one that is not driven by greed. – The Vibes, August 21, 2021
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