KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Christina Liew has expressed surprise over Sabah DAP’s withdrawal from the planned memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government.
She said this move had not been expected, as it was DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who had met with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor – who leads GRS – before the MoU was publicised.
“I cannot answer outright over this matter. We have not been informed by them (Sabah DAP) that they have withdrawn from the planned Sabah government-opposition MoU.
“Even the Sabah PH secretary was not informed of this,” she told reporters when asked about Sabah DAP’s latest move today.
“I will have to find out more, I can’t answer you. Actually, I am quite surprised,” said Liew, who is also Sabah PKR chairman.
Earlier today, Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe said the state DAP committee has decided to pull out from all talks and the signing of any document of understanding with the Sabah government for the sake of political stability in the state.
He said the decision was made by the state council, following a meeting held two weeks ago.
“We had a meeting to decide whether to enter MoU discussions and negotiations with the state government.
“This is not even the signing of an MoU, as claimed by several parties over the matter.
“We made a unanimous decision not to enter into any kind of collaboration, reform agenda, or MoU with the current Sabah government,” he said.
However, according to Liew, a technical study has already been done to look into possible cooperation between the Sabah opposition and the ruling GRS.
“Lim also met Hajiji and Warisan leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal a few times on this matter, before talks of cooperation in Sabah were announced.
“The response from Hajiji, from what I was informed, had been very positive,” she said.
Sabah PH has nine elected assemblymen in the 73-seat state assembly.
Fellow opposition outfit Warisan, which has already opposed the signing of any understanding papers with the ruling alliance, has 20 assemblymen under its belt.
PH at the national level had signed an MoU with the Umno-led federal government on September 13.
Called the “Transformation and Political Stability MoU”, it covers six key points – Covid-19 plan enforcement, administrative transformation, parliamentary reforms, judiciary institution independence, the Malaysia Agreement 1963, and the formation of a steering committee. – The Vibes, December 19, 2021
