Jeffrey: I'm not joining Barisan, I'm working for Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: While Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Musa Aman is slated to be sworn in as the Chief Minister at 8.30pm Thursday (May 10), his new ally Sabah STAR president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) says he did not join the coalition – rather, he was on the way to form a coalition of local Sabah parties without Umno.

A day after the May 9 general election, Dr Jeffrey announced that Sabah STAR, which won two state seats, would work with Barisan, which bagged 29 seats, to form the state government with a simple majority of 31 members in the state assembly.

He said, however, the idea is that the Barisan and Umno assemblymen will be leaving Umno and the coalition "because the Umno-Barisan era is over".

Dr Jeffrey claimed he "flatly rejected" PKR's offer of a deputy prime minister post if he joined the Parti Warisan Sabah-Pakatan Harapan pact – which also had 29 state seats – and form the Sabah government.

He cited his continuing struggle for state rights and sovereignty from West Malaysia as the reason for rejecting the deal.

"We decided for the sake of Sabah to work with Sabah Barisan," he said on Thursday.

Warisan, PKR and DAP were initially hoping to form the next government with some assemblyman from Sabah STAR or Barisan.

The two seats won by Sabah STAR were crucial for either Warisan or Barisan to obtain a clear 31-seat simple majority in the 60-member assembly.

On the same day (May 10), Barisan's Upko acting president Datuk Seri Madius Tangau announced that he was pulling his party out of the coalition and aligning with Warisan.

Madius, who met with Shafie at his residence at Taman Golfview here, later told reporters that he would bring five newly-elected Upko assemblymen with him, which would have shifted the power balance to Warisan and its partners, bringing their total tally of state seats to 34.

However, it is understood that the five assemblymen from Kadamaian, Nabawan, Paginatan, Kuala Penyu and Kuamut decided to stay with Barisan and not join Madius.