Despite state BN chief Musa Aman having been sworn in as Sabah chief minister, Parti Warisan Sabah president Mohd Shafie Apdal said his party does not recognise the newly-formed state government as legitimate.

This, he said, is because the state government did not receive an “absolute mandate” to form the government.

“They do not have enough number (of seats),” said Shafie in a press conference at his home in Kota Kinabalu today.

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) had already stated its stance that it was no longer with BN, Shafie said.

Shafie added he had sent a letter to the Sabah governor Juhar Mahiruddin informing the latter that the electoral pact led by Warisan had enough seats to form the state government.

Commenting on Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan’s decision to cooperate with BN, Shafie believes that a “money transaction” had been involved.

“But it’s okay, (Upko acting president) Wilfred Madius Tangau already talked about the need to leave BN, and some state assemblypersons said they were not in support of Musa, so here I stress his government is not legitimate.”

Shafie at a press conference last night expressed his belief that Musa’s state government would not last long.

The newly-formed state government, said Shafie, “will not be sustainable”.

“I’m very sure, (because) what has happened in Sabah, I had experienced it before,” he told reporters.

Asked today what he meant by saying the state government will not last long, Shafie again cited its “illegitimacy”.

As for his next course of action, Shafie admitted there were things that they needed to do.

“Since they are an illegitimate government, you can’t expect us to let them be.

“There’s always, in politics, surprises,” he added, when asked whether there would be elements of surprise.

As for now, Shafie said he will not concede defeat.

“Of course. How can I concede when things are, you know ...,” he said, citing instances in which Election Commission officials had purportedly refused to sign the Form 14.

Speaking further about the night of the elections, Shafie claimed his party had won 35 seats, but the number dropped to 29 after multiple recounts.

“I was very disappointed with that,” he said.

Asked whether he will challenge the disputed seats, Shafie did not discount doing so, pointing out how there were several available avenues for taking action.

Despite objections by some Sabahans, Musa was sworn in yesterday as chief minister for the fifth time.

Musa took his oath of office before the governor last night.

Sabah BN won 29 state seats in the 14th general election, the same number of seats won collectively by Warisan and its electoral partners DAP and PKR.

But after Star decided to cooperate with BN, giving the latter two more seats, thereby enabling it to form the state government with a simple majority.

'Upko state reps corralled'

Yesterday, Upko's Tangau announced that the party’s supreme council had decided to leave BN and join Warisan.

This, said Tangau, is to facilitate efforts to form the new state government.

However, the five Upko assemblypersons who won in the election reportedly denied that they will join Warisan and stressed that they would remain with BN.

Asked what had happened with the five state assemblypersons, Shafie said they were placed under “house arrest”.

“If you (BN) are scared of people being kidnapped, why do you kidnap people?

“But it’s okay, that is beside the point. They (BN) have been sworn in. But they will not last long.”