KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional has hit out at Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun over his claim that the state was being used as a laboratory guinea pig to test the understanding between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan.
According to its chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, Masidi made the comment as he did not understand the actual meaning of the term “laboratory” used by Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the context of the Barisan-Pakatan cooperation in Sabah.
He said what Ahmad Zahid was referring to was the political strategy by the coalitions in facing the upcoming state election without any intention to belittle Sabahans.
The Barisan-Pakatan cooperation, he said, was nothing new and that they wanted to continue it in the 17th state polls.
“He (Masidi) actually does not understand the Barisan-Pakatan cooperation did not just happen as it has taken place in several by-elections so, Sabah is not a guinea pig,” he said, in a statement here on Monday (Nov 11).
Bung Moktar said the Barisan-Pakatan cooperation was to ensure the government remained stable.
“It can’t be that Barisan and Pakatan are fighting each other in Sabah right?
“I don’t know why Masidi said it was embarrassing for Sabahans, as if Sabah was used as a laboratory guinea pig.
“For me, that is a statement by someone who doesn’t understand politics as strategy is needed in politics.
“My view is that the statement is by someone who is disappointed and probably due to age so, I advise Masidi to retire (from politics),” Bung Moktar said.
Masidi, who is also the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) deputy president, had last week said Sabahans must reject attempts to make the state a political guinea pig in the upcoming state election.
Speaking when launching the Gagasan Rakyat youth and wanita wings’ meeting, he had said he was offended by statements by political leaders over making the state a “laboratory”.
This gives a perception that Sabah was no more than just political guinea pigs, he had said, claiming this has upset the people in the state.
Masidi had said this in the wake of a statement by Ahmad Zahid who said the next Sabah election would be a “laboratory” to gauge the cooperation between Pakatan and Barisan.
Ahmad Zahid was reported to have said the state polls would be an important testing ground to assess the understanding between the two coalitions for the next general election.
