Hajiji on rocky road after quitting Bersatu, says Shafie

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor brought on his own downfall when he quit Bersatu, said Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (pic).

The present crisis in the state began when Hajiji announced last month that he and his assemblymen were leaving Bersatu en masse to form a new party and become direct members of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, he said.

“He is not a party president now. In fact, he is not a member of any party,” said Shafie.

“Whose fault is this? It was Hajiji’s fault when he quit. Not Warisan’s,” he told reporters yesterday.

The state leadership is in question following Barisan Nasional’s pullout from the 27-month-old coalition government on Friday night.

Shafie said the current chaos is the outcome of Hajiji’s action as he wanted to keep his post after the general elections when Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional were no longer in the Federal Government.

Now, he said the Chief Minister is “on his own” with no certainty of the support of the majority of the other elected representatives.

Citing the state Constitution, Shafie said that the Chief Minister must be the leader of a party that won a majority of the seats in the 2020 state election.

“Now, nobody knows whether Hajiji has the confidence of the majority in the state legislature. These members have the right to choose another person to be the Chief Minister. They can present their choice to the Sabah Governor at any time.”

And in accordance with the state Constitution, Shafie said the Governor has discretion over the appointment of the Chief Minister, or he can withhold consent to requests to dissolve the assembly.

It is up to the Governor now to make a decision and settle the turmoil once and for all, he added.

Asked whether Warisan and Barisan have held discussions to form a new government, Shafie replied: “We’ll see how it goes.”

Warisan, he said, is ready to work with anyone to stabilise the government.

He said the Chief Minister need not necessarily come from Warisan, brushing aside questions whether he was ready to become Chief Minister again.