KOTA KINABALU – Expect Warisan president and Semporna MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to vote down Budget 2021 today, said Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political analyst Assoc Prof Jeniri Amir.
In a phone interview with Astro Awani last night, Jeniri said that Shafie is an ally to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He recalled that Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir had already predicted that the current Perikatan Nasional government would stand to lose at today’s third budget reading.
Jeniri said the time of senior leaders such as Umno MP Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Dr Mahathir had ended, and it was time for a fresh and dynamic leader to take over.
He said opposition leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should take over as prime minister, adding that the Port Dickson MP had sacrificed so much for the opposition struggle – including making way for Dr Mahathir to be prime minister after the 2018 general election.
Meanwhile, Jeniri said, it would not be a “walk in the park” for Warisan as it eyes national reach.
He said it was a bold step, but he doubted the Sabah-based party would gain traction in West Malaysia.
“This is really a bold step. But I’m a bit sceptical. Warisan failed to win the Sabah election on September 26,” said Jeniri.
“To me, Warisan should not spread its wings to Peninsular Malaysia. Focus on Sabah first and build their support in the state.”
He added that there were stronger parties in the peninsula, and said that it did not hold water that a Sabah-based party would be able to emulate in West Malaysia how other national parties such as Umno, PAS, PKR, or Amanah expanded to Sabah. – The Vibes, December 15, 2020
