Anwar to meet leaders over Sabah

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says he will look into the Sabah political crisis after he returns from his official visit to Jakarta.

He said he will meet representatives of Sabah political parties on the issue.

“After returning from Jakarta, I will give special attention to the developments in Sabah,” he told reporters after attending Pakatan Harapan’s presidential council meeting here yesterday.

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The Prime Minister began his two-day visit to Indonesia today.

The Pakatan chief said he has spoken to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, adding that the political situation in Sabah is under control now.

Calm in a crisis: Anwar speaking to the media after the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting at PKR headquarters in Merchant Square, Petaling Jaya. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star

“I have spoken to Hajiji and I was made to understand that (Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president) Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has spoken to (Sabah Barisan chairman) Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, and the situation is under control for now.

“We will ensure that the administration of the state is unaffected as our priority is the country, economic growth and the interest of the people,” he added.

Asked to comment on the latest situation, Anwar replied that the situation “was still calm”.

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On Friday, he also said that the political situation in Sabah was calm and there would be no change in the state government.

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Yesterday, Pakatan assemblymen in Sabah reiterated their support for Hajiji as Chief Minister after his government collapsed with Barisan pulling out its support.

Five Barisan assemblymen have publicly announced their support for Hajiji as Chief Minister while calling for Bung Moktar to step down as state Umno chairman.

The five assemblymen said in a joint statement that they were pledging their unwavering support for Hajiji as Sabah Chief Minister under the law.

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Bung Moktar had announced the decision to pull the plug on the 27-month-old coalition state government after chairing a two-hour meeting at the Sabah Umno headquarters here on Friday night.

The Deputy Chief Minister claimed that Sabah Barisan had lost confidence in Hajiji as he had lost his locus standi to remain as Chief Minister after he quit Bersatu to become a direct member of GRS.

The decision to pull out, he added, involved 17 Sabah Umno assemblymen and Segama representative Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi of Parti Bangsa Malaysia.

However, Bung Moktar admitted that at least five of his assemblymen have yet to support the move, although he chose not to name them.