KOTA KINABALU - The shifting of political support to rivals by some MPs should be discouraged and stopped, stressed Sabah opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, citing that this could trigger political instability.
The Semporna MP said while it is okay for lawmakers to support good policies by the government, they are not required to shift political support.
He said supporting good policies is a norm in Western politics but shifting political allegiance is akin to becoming a political turncoat.
He said this can cause political instability.
Shafie also rubbished the excuse given by the MPs that their action was only to ensure development could continue when they become pro-government.
“It's just an excuse. Each parliamentary constituency is already given funds.
“There are many funds as stated under the Malaysia Plan for the whole country. The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) even announced funding in his visit to opposition-held Kelantan recently.
“(This means) all the constituencies will not be sidelined regardless of whether they are held by the opposition,” Shafie told a press conference at the Warisan headquarters here.
Shafie was commenting on the actions of opposition members of parliament who had expressed their support for Anwar recently.
One of the MPs, Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) said his decision to declare his support to Anwar on Oct 30 was to ensure Labuan gets the development allocations needed.
Suhaili believed Labuan would get access to the RM3.8 million annual allocation if he is a pro-government MP.
Today, Suhaili confirmed to have received the allocations.
Shafie said he believed a loophole in the anti-party hopping law had been exploited and that he had raised this problem even when the law was at the formulation stage.
“These incidents now demand a review of the anti-party hopping law,” he said.
Shafie said the provision in question would be the need for the MP to vacate their seat if they decide to party hop and that party would be able to keep the seat if the MP was expelled.
On another matter, the former Sabah chief minister said he is keeping his options open to political pacts with others, saying the party’s top priority is to strengthen itself.
Shafie believed forming alliances may be the norm to win elections, but he also believed it could cause disunity.
For instance, he said a rift between parties in a pact can happen even on matters as petty as ministerial appointments.
“We don’t want such conflicts to become widespread. Political pacts may and may not strengthen Sabah politics. But this should not be for positions, but for unity,” he said.
Shafie also noted that Warisan has worked with Pakatan Harapan before and the cooperation only resulted in the realisation of 17 of 21 demands on state rights.
Also, he said the 17 demands were only realised but not implemented, he said.
He said the remaining demands such as Sabah's rights over its waters up to the continental shelf and a one-third representation in parliament for the Borneo states have not been implemented.
“The one-third representation is a constitutional right. It is not a privilege. When Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, all the seats were supposed to be absorbed and given to Sabah and Sarawak to maintain the Malaysia partners' one-third representation.
“But at this point, Sabah will not have a voice as even some of its parliamentary seats are now held by Peninsula-based parties,” he said.
However, Shafie noted the party remains open to the formation of political pacts and has met various political leaders from Barisan Nasional and KDM on matters related to state rights.
At the same press conference, Shafie also announced the appointment of Terence Au, a former AirAsia staff, as Warisan’s new youth chief, replacing Mohd Ismail Ayob who had left the party on October 7. - The Vibes, November 9, 2023
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