KOTA KINABALU: Opposition Parti Warisan president Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal continues his push for Sabahans to support his local multi-racial party in the coming state election, showing no indication of entering any electoral pact.
Shafie emphasised the importance of supporting his local party to ensure Sabah has a unified voice in its efforts to develop the state, which still lacks basic amenities such as water, electricity, health, and education.
"I don't know when the state election will be called. It could be this year or by next year.
"Sabahans should not rely on Kuala Lumpur to solve our problems," Shafie said, appealing for support from the Chinese community in Tawau over the weekend.
He noted that unlike the 2022 general election, where the focus was on changing the Prime Minister, the next state election is crucial for ensuring the state is governed by a Chief Minister from a Sabah party.
He warned that if Sabahans are divided among various parties, they could be easily manipulated by outsiders, eroding efforts to regain the state's rights enshrined under the federal Constitution.
Shafie argued that elected representatives from national parties would have to follow their bosses, which might not be in the best interest of Sabah.
He highlighted that Warisan had worked with DAP in the September 2020 state election, where DAP won six state seats using the Warisan symbol — a feat no Chinese-based party has achieved on its own in Sabah.
"DAP used our symbol, and when I asked them to help us form the state government (in January 2022), they went to help someone else," he said.
This was in reference to the coup when Sabah Barisan Nasional, led by Datuk Bung Moktar Radin, withdrew its support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor following the change in federal government with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim becoming Prime Minister in November 2022.
Shafie stressed the importance of supporting Warisan to ensure fairness for all races and religious groups.
"Warisan's interest is the wellbeing of all Sabahans," he said, promising to appoint a qualified Chinese assemblyman as state finance minister if Warisan wins the upcoming election.
He pointed out that during Warisan's two-year government (2018-2020), four Chinese leaders were appointed to the state cabinet, reflecting the party's commitment to fairness, regardless of race or religion.
Shafie criticised the current Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government for having only two Chinese ministers, who were brought in only after Sabah Pakatan intervened to support Hajiji's state government.
He claimed that many local parties in Sabah have leaders who are not focused on the state's interests but are instead seeking positions in government.
He cautioned that such leaders and parties could further divide the state and weaken its strength in securing its rights.
