KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal criticized Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for strategically using policies established by the previous Warisan administration under his leadership and allegedly breaching the constitution to keep its leader in power.
As reported by The Vibes, Shafie highlighted the effectiveness of the sales tax on petroleum products during his tenure as chief minister from May 2018 to September 2020, in light of recent criticisms from the current Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor.
He highlighted that this initiative brought in billions of ringgit for Sabah, with his government allocating more than ten thousand acres to indigenous communities for agricultural purposes.
Shafie said that Warisan was the only government in Sabah to implement the sales tax on petroleum products since the Petroleum Development Act 1974.
He added that the GRS-led Sabah government has now collected over RM2 billion from the sales tax introduced by the Warisan-led administration.
During a press conference at Parliament in Kuala Lumpur today, Shafie also underscored other accomplishments, including issuing over 10,000 land titles and supporting subsidized agricultural activities for the people, throughout the approximately 26-month Warisan-led administration.
Furthermore, he refuted Hajiji’s criticism by stating that he had allocated RM600 million to address the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Shafie highlighted several key points during his speech. Firstly, he mentioned that RM1 million was donated to frontliners, RM2 million was allocated for purchasing protective gear from China, and funds were also allocated for food baskets to the people of Sabah, including those living in the peninsula and Sarawak.
Additionally, Shafie emphasized the Warisan-led administration’s recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and their success in settling the RM1 billion debt that the state owed to the federal government, which had accumulated during the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) regime.
He pointed out that Hajiji, the current chief minister, was part of that BN government and a state cabinet member of the former regime.
Shafie also said the achievements of Sabah under his leadership, such as regaining control of Sipadan and Ligitan islands and the authority to issue deep-sea fishing licenses during the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) talks.
Furthermore, Shafie criticized Hajiji’s performance in overseeing various sectors, including road infrastructure, electricity, water, healthcare, education services, and the rising cost of living in Sabah.
He accused Hajiji of violating Sabah’s state constitution but absolving himself of any wrongdoing by abolishing Article 6(7) to legitimize his position as chief minister.
Shafie argued that Article 6(7) was meant to guide the head of state in appointing a chief minister who commands the confidence of the majority of voters.
He also pointed out that Hajiji had left Bersatu to become a direct member of GRS and later took over Gagasan Rakyat in early 2023.
However, both GRS and Gagasan Rakyat did not participate in the last Sabah election in September 2020.
Shafie emphasized that a party must contest and obtain a majority in order to govern, and acquiring turncoats does not constitute a legitimate majority.
Shafie reiterated that Warisan had the most seats after the election with 29, followed by Bersatu with 11, Umno with 14, PBS with 7, and Star with 6, Upko 1 and PKR 2.
Shafie stated that despite his rival’s lack of majority, he managed to abolish Article 6(7) to solidify his position as chief minister.
He expressed his frustration over his rival’s claims that he was a failure. On the other hand, Hajiji attributed Warisan’s loss of power to their own mistakes, accusing their leaders of spreading false information to undermine his successful administration that attracted significant investments since 2020.
Additionally, Hajiji criticized Shafie for allegedly demeaning others by expressing intentions to reinstate Article 6(7) if his party wins in the upcoming election.
Source – The Vibes
