Upko sacrifices principles for stability
Upko has sacrificed its principles to form the State Government with Par Warisan Sabah and Pakatan Harapan for the sake of people and stability, said Datuk Masiung Banah.
KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Upko) has sacrificed its principles to form the State Government with Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Upko’s Kuamut assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah said his party has played an important role and sacrificed its principles to help form the State Government for the sake of the people and political stability in Sabah.
He said this when debating Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Christina Liew’s motion of confidence in Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as the Chief Minister of Sabah at the special sitting of the State Legislative Assembly here yesterday.
He said Liew’s motion, which stated that the State Government was formed by Warisan and PH and further strengthened when Upko and several Umno representatives joined the pact should be corrected.
“The state government would not have been formed if Upko had not sacrificed its principles,” he said during the special sitting of the State Legislative Assembly here yesterday.
He said Liew’s statement gave the impression that his party did not play a significant role in the formation of the State Government.
“This is an important part of history in the State Legislative Assembly that should be corrected,” he asserted.
Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and the Warisan-PH coalition have won 29 state seats each in the 14th general election, with Parti Solidarity Tanah Airku (STAR) garnering two seats out of the 60 state constituencies. STAR then made a pact with Sabah BN to form a coalition state government thus allowing Tan Sri Musa Aman to be sworn in as chief minister with a simple majority of 31 seats.
Five Upko assemblymen, namely, Ewon Benedick (Kadamaian), Datuk Limus Jury (Kuala Penyu), Datuk Abidin Madingkir (Paginatan), Datuk Bobbey Suan (Nabawan) and Masiung were at the press conference when Musa announced he had secured a simple majority to form the government, despite Upko acting president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau’s announcement of the party leaving BN to support the leadership of Shafie earlier.
Masiung and Ewon were subsequently appointed into Musa’s cabinet. However, Ewon and Abidin soon followed their president’s footstep and switched allegiance to Shafie’s camp. This has enabled Warisan and PH to form a new State Government with the support from Upko and several former Umno representatives after securing enough seats for a majority.
The special sitting yesterday saw the presence of Masiung and Limus, who also voted in favour of Shafie’s leadership.
Masiung said, he was the last person to see Shafie (to pledge his support) because he was one of the cabinet members (Youth and Sports Minister) appointed by Musa.
He explained that he had stayed with BN in the belief that the State Government then was formed with the mandate from the people. However, he soon realized that the people wanted a change in government, adding that Madius had also repeatedly advised him to support Shafie’s leadership.
Meanwhile, appointed assemblyman, Loretto S Padua, when participating in the debate, had asked Masiung what exactly were the principles Upko had sacrificed to form the new State Government.
“Have they sacrificed their principles when the government was formed?” Padua asked.