Shafie: No time for silly claims by Jeffrey
Published on: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal dismissed predictions by Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan that there would be a "new wave of illegal immigrants" flooding the state.Shafie brushed off the claim saying he has "more important things to do" than to respond to baseless allegations."There's nothing to respond. I was not there in the government then. I didn't have the authority to let illegals come in.ADVERTISEMENT "His brother was in charge. Don't blame me," he said after a moon-sighting ceremony at Balai Cerap Al-Biruni in Putatan."I have far more important things to do – running the state, helping the poor, developing the state – rather than responding to these silly statements. They're unfounded," he said.Jeffrey recently issued a statement claiming that a possible influx of immigrants was waiting to be absorbed into the system following Shafie's appointment as Chief Minister.Jeffrey, who was briefly made Deputy Chief Minister under former Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman's short-lived state Cabinet, claimed Sabah could see another flood of immigrants following "the euphoria of the immigrant community" over the appointment Shafie.ADVERTISEMENT Shafie was sworn in as the state's 15th Chief Minister, barely 24 hours after Musa was sworn in following a claim of majority from the recently concluded elections (GE14).In the 29-seat tie between Shafie's Parti Warisan Sabah and Barisan Nasional (BN), Kitingan's Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) was the deciding factor that ended up siding with BN, and giving Musa claim to the state government.
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Musa immediately named his state ministers and proceeded to start the first Cabinet meeting but crossovers from six BN assemblymen later gave Shafie the edge, and following a meeting with the state governor, Musa was asked to step down. He has yet to officially do so although he has vacated the official Chief Minister's residence.Meanwhile, Malaysian Muslims will begin Ramadan fasting on Thursday (May 17), the Keeper of the Rulers seal Datuk Seri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad announced.He said the date for the Ramadan fasting to begin followed a decree by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after receiving the consent of the Malay rulers.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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The sighting of the new moon was carried out at 29 locations throughout the country. The Conference of Malay Rulers had agreed that determining the start of Ramadan be based on the rukyah and hisab methods.