Three Warisan reps quit, back Hajiji instead

Three state legislators in Sabah have quit Warisan to throw their support behind Chief Minister Hajiji Noor as independent assemblypersons.

The three are Banggi assemblyperson Mohammad Mohamarin, Kunak assemblyperson Norazlina Arif, and Tanjong Kapor assemblyperson Chong Chen Bin.

“We believe the time has come for political polemics and attempts to destabilise the government to stop because it affects efforts to develop the state and its people.

“We will work with the chief minister and the state government to continue the positive momentum of the state’s development and rise in state revenue, through the Sabah Maju Jaya plan,” they said in a joint statement today.

The move leaves the state opposition with just 32 seats in the 79-member state assembly, including 16 from Warisan. Sabah has yet to enact anti-party hopping legislation.

It came a month after the state had a political crisis that saw Hajiji survive an attempt to overthrow him following Sabah BN under Bung Moktar Radin withdrawing support.

Warisan president Shafie Apdal had said his party did not collude with BN to overthrow Hajiji, but it wanted to question Hajiji’s legitimacy to maintain his position as chief minister following the latter’s resignation from Bersatu.

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