Don't split Sabah using race and religion, CM tells BN
KIMANIS POLLS | Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal has warned BN not to split Sabah using race and religion in the Kimanis by-election campaign.
"If you want to win votes, if you want to fight, go ahead. Just don't hurl allegations, don't use race (issue) to divide (the people)...
KIMANIS POLLS | Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal has warned BN not to split Sabah using race and religion in the Kimanis by-election campaign.
"If you want to win votes, if you want to fight, go ahead. Just don't hurl allegations, don't use race (issue) to divide (the people).
"Enough is enough... We are peaceful in Sabah, don't drag the divisive culture into Sabah," said the Warisan president.
In a ceramah last night, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan claimed to be informed by the locals that they see BN as representing Malaysia while Warisan the Philippines.
"People have told me, 'Datuk those are all Filipinos, they are paid'... but I don't know. I am just repeating what they told me.
"What I know for sure is that Sabahans will change the Sabah Warisan state government," he had said.
When asked about this, Shafie replied: "We can lodge a police report on this."
He again appealed to Sabahan to reject BN and Umno.
Shafie was officiating the launching of a new Warisan branch in Kampung Kelatuan in Kimanis, with more than 300 members clad in white T-shirts with words "Don't vote BN. Enough is enough!!!".
The group also modified the lyrics of a Kadazan song which Shafie and the group sang at the end of the event.
In the song, the group called on the Kimanis voters to support Karim Bujang who they said will bring development, while BN would only make things hard for them.
Karim, 67, who is Kimanis Warisan division chief, will be challenged by BN candidate Mohamad Alamin, 48, who is also the Kimanis Umno division chief.
The polling day is on Jan 18, while the early voting will be held on Jan 14.
State MACC director informed
On another development, Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony, who attended the event, said he contacted the state MACC over the alleged misconduct at a Christmas celebration attended by Shafie.
"They have accused us of providing all sorts of things (lucky draws). But the event was organised by the churches and Membakut KDM (Kadazan Dusun Murut) community.
"I have contacted the (Sabah) MACC director and asked them to probe if the celebration was organised by Warisan or me (as the KDM Malaysia president) or the Membakut community.
"(They see problems in the event because) they don't know the tradition in Sabah. Moreover, when it cooperates with PAS, so they don't know our problems," he said.
On the first day of the Kimanis by-election campaign, Shafie appeared at the Christmas event, organised by Membakut KDM community together with the Warisan candidate.
According to a tentative of the programme, there was a lucky draw session at the end of the night that offered prizes including a motorcycle.
Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan said he would instruct his party grassroots to lodge a police report.
In his speech, Peter said Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) will be issued so that the government can track down the undocumented migrants in the state.
"PSS is in fact one of the methods to hunt down the illegal immigrants. The Home Ministry already said that the recipients will not be granted citizenship," he added.
Last September, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said temporary passes would be issued, from June 1 next year, to some 600,000 immigrants who have been living for decades in Sabah.
It was reported that the group comprises current holders of IMM13 issued to Filipino refugees who fled to Sabah in the 1970s, economic migrants with Burung-Burung cards in the 1980s, and those who registered under the Federal Special Task Force Banci (census) cards in the 1990s.
BN had expressed its opposition to the PSS.
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