TAWAU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Apas candidate Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan (
pic) has criticised certain quarters for using an old video of his late brother, Datuk Tawfiq, to sway voters in the state polls.
He said the video, recorded in 2018, should not be exploited for political gain and urged those responsible—believed to be from opposing parties—to immediately stop circulating it.
“It is already 2025, so they should respect the family of the deceased and act professionally… If they have run out of issues, it is better to stay quiet than provoke anger,” he told reporters after a ceramah at PDM Titingan on Thursday night.
Nizam said parties that often pride themselves on their long political experience should instead uphold proper conduct and engage voters with dignity.
He added that such behaviour reflects immaturity, saying, “They boast about being an old party, yet the people have rejected them because their leaders never learn, never repent, and remain arrogant to the point of using personal matters without considering family sensitivities.”
Earlier, the late Datuk Tawfiq’s eldest son, Muhammad Mustaqeem, expressed disappointment after discovering that the video of his father had been used in campaign material without the family’s consent.
He said what saddened the family further was that parts of the speech were taken out of context, creating room for misunderstanding and the exploitation of his father’s name and legacy.
