KOTA KINABALU: Even as the Sabah government mulls the enactment of an anti-hopping law, another Parti Warisan assemblyman has quit the party.
The latest was Karamunting assemblyman George Hiew (pic), who announced his decision yesterday.
In a statement, he said he would join Gagasan Rakyat Sabah led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Hiew said people in the state wanted stability, more development and an end to political uncertainty.
“It is important for all of us to unite to bring more development to Sabah for the betterment of the people. This is why I’ve decided to leave Warisan.
“Now we can focus on developing Sabah, uniting the people and implementing MA63 (Malaysia Agreement 1963) [and work] towards creating a prosperous and progressive state,” he added.
Hiew, a two-term assemblyman since 2018, thanked Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal for giving him the opportunity to defend the seat in the September 2020 snap polls.
He was the 11th Warisan assemblyman to leave the party in the last two years and the fifth to do so this year.
Warisan is now left with 14 assemblymen in the 79-member state assembly.
With Hiew joining Gagasan Rakyat, Hajiji continues to strengthen the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition as the ruling government and his own position as state leader.
GRS comprises Gagasan Rakyat, of which Hajiji is the president, Parti Bersatu Sabah, Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party and United Sabah National Organisation.
On Thursday, Hajiji said the state Cabinet would make a decision on when to table the anti-hopping law in the state assembly.
Opposition parties have been calling for the state government to enact the law, which has been in force at the federal level since Oct 5 last year.
Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua said the state government appeared to be intentionally delaying the move to implement the law.
