Sabahans have rejected BN before: Shafie
Published on: Sunday, July 23, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal reminded Barisan Nasional leaders that Sabahans did reject the coalition when Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) won the election in 1990, despite its withdrawal from the grouping.He said the party had since made a U-turn and because of that is now only a shadow of its former glory."They should have maintained the stand and be consistent and persistent," he told a press conference after attending the Warisan Open House organised by the party's Wira and Wirawati here, Saturday.
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He was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's statement that it is futile to get Sabahans to reject Barisan Nasional, likening the situation to Brexit, a movement in Britain that voted to leave the European Union (EU) last year.Shafie said Sarawak is a perfect example of how a State could survive peacefully without any intervention from Umno, the main party of Barisan Nasional."Don't tell me, without Umno in Sabah, we cannot survive. Sabahans are not that stupid. We are not dependent on a 'cash is king' party.
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"If Pakatan Harapan beat BN in Malaya, is that Brexit? Kelantan, Selangor and Penang already rejected BN. Is that Brexit also?" he asked.
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The Semporna MP said it is stupid to accuse Sabahans of trying to get out of Malaysia because all Sabahans know they are still Malaysians and their loyalty should not be questioned.At the same time, he said the government should not use the people's loyalty to commit illegal things either."We are not being parochial or racist but this is our right. Don't come here and tell us just because we are from Sabah, we cannot fight for our rights. What was spelt out in the Malaysia Agreement 1963."There are lots of conditions, but have they been fulfilled? We demand the government fulfil all the conditions. If not, well... in any agreement, if you breached the conditions, Brexit will come."Shafie also took a swipe at Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman who accused him of being fickle-minded with regard to his political allegiance."I earned the contest and won the second term as Vice President of Umno. But Umno is no longer a party with values. They did not even investigate or give justification to expel people like Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from the party."But I guess it was divine will because it paved the way for the creation of Warisan," he said.He also rejected Anifah's claim that he (Shafie) kept him waiting for two hours when he was former Rural and Regional Development Minister."That is a total lie. He waited for two hours? He is the Foreign Minister and he waited for two hours in my office? I don't think so. For any issue, we can discuss in the cabinet," he said.Shafie also dismissed Anifah's allegation that he never went to Kimanis when he was a Federal Minister.Clarifying, he said he asked some people to organise an event in Kimanis but was not allowed to go into the area.He, however, succeeded in going into a school in Kimanis as a Federal minister."There were people in Kimanis who supported me, voted for me and these eight people were expelled from Umno. This is the value within Umno."But I am not going to think about that. It is just wasting my time. We are focused on our struggle to make sure we topple them and prove we can do better than them. "However, you can be sure I have opened my door not only to ministers. You can ask the security guard at my office, anybody can come to see me without appointment. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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