Polls: Shafie backs Warisan's strategy to keep federal parties out of Sabah

Summary

• Warisan president Shafie Apdal has come to his party’s defence in the decision to contest all 73 seats in the upcoming Sabah election

• He laments that previous negotiations failed to resolve Sabah's core issues like water, electricity, jobs and food.

• Shafie warns of legal action against the governor if Warisan is denied the right to form government, should it win a simple majority.

Warisan president Shafie Apdal has defended his party's decision to contest all 73 seats in the upcoming Sabah election, arguing that alliances with federal-based parties only result in political interference.

Speaking at a party function in Penampang on Saturday, the former chief minister dismissed the significance of seat-sharing arrangements with federal parties.

"If we talk to Umno, they have 26 seats. If we talk to PKR, they have 23. If we talk to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, they have 14. Does that matter to the people of Sabah? No.

"What matters is water, electricity, jobs, food and not the number of seats," he said.

Shafie argued that previous negotiations with federal parties had done little to resolve Sabah's core issues.

"It is the people who will decide. Our wealth, our system. We don't depend on those with their own agenda," he added.

Warns of legal action

Addressing supporters later, Shafie also warned that he would initiate “legal and political action” if Warisan is denied the right to form the state government, should the party win a simple majority.

"If tomorrow we obtain 37 seats, the moment we get 37 seats, there must be no defections.

"I will send a letter to the governor. I want to be sworn in. If he does not let me take the oath, I will sue him and take him to court," he warned, referring to Musa Aman.

Shafie stressed that he understood both the law and the constitution, having been a lawmaker for 36 years.

"If I have a simple majority, I have the right to form the government. Don't play games."

He also signalled that he would seek to have the governor removed if obstructed.

According to Sabah's constitution, the head of state can only be removed through a resolution in the state legislative assembly, which typically requires a two-thirds majority.

"If Warisan wins 43 seats and is still obstructed, we have the power to remove the governor," Shafie said.

Whilst stressing that "we are not looking for a fight", he also cautioned against denying Warisan's agenda to improve living conditions in Sabah should his party win the state election.

2020 performance

The Senallang assemblyperson said Warisan could realistically secure a majority, pointing to Warisan's 2020 election performance when it won 29 seats, despite ceding constituencies to allies Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) and the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) at the time.

Warisan had allocated 14 seats to Upko, which won only one, and seven to PKR, which won two.

"If we had contested another 10 seats and won all of them, I would have had 39 seats; it is already a simple majority," he said, referring to the seat-sharing formula arrangement that was made.

Shafie's comments came amid concerns over recent elections producing no clear majority winner.

In 2018, no coalition in Sabah won outright, leading to days of political manoeuvring, while at the federal level in 2022, a hung parliament saw the Yang di-Pertuan summon party leaders, before appointing Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.

Defending student loan write-off

Shafie also defended his pledge to abolish educational loans for working graduates in Sabah, saying it is financially achievable and not a political gimmick.

"You have money to buy millions worth of luxury vehicles under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) fleet, to purchase flashy official cars ... If you can spend millions on these, why can't you use that money to settle the debts of our children in Sabah?" he asked.

He was referring to the state's purchase of around 20 luxury SUVs, the Toyota LCS 3000 ZX, and premium plate numbers with the acronym “SMJ”, which refers to the slogan "Sabah Maju Jaya".

Shafie said Sabah's population of 3.9 million and its limited number of universities meant that the total cost of clearing student loans would be manageable.

He called for 30-40 percent of places in local universities to be reserved for Sabah-born students.

"In 2019, I paid RM1 billion of debts left by BN. If I can pay BN's debts, why can't we pay the debts of our students?" he said.

He added that the plan could be funded by directing revenue from timber concessions into Yayasan Sabah for education, rather than political patronage.

"I know which timber concessions can be set aside so the money goes to Yayasan Sabah. Then Yayasan Sabah can use it to pay off our children's debts," he said.

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