No move to declare protesters as persona non-grata, says Shafie

KOTA KINABALU: There is no move to turn the ‘extreme’ protesters of the Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) Tawau Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebration into Sabah’s ‘persona non-grata’, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

“It’s okay. The important thing for us is that we do not follow what these people practice. There shouldn’t be extremism. If there are such things, we reject. The law is not enough. As citizens, we should not accept the view that can erode unity as we realize and know that all races can live in a state of unity, united even though religiously diversified in one home,” he said in response to a press question about ejecting the protesters out of the state as persona nongrata.

“It is important for us how we cultivate this (racial harmony) situation. Do not let us cheer up the things that can erode, (we) unite and unite the people. Yes, this is not our practice at the state level.

“Let us not hype things that can erode the harmony and unity of the people. Yes, this is not our practice at the state level,” added the Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) president during the party’s inaugural Christmas Open House celebration in Kolombong here yesterday.

Tawau PAS, on December 3, apologized to the public for sending a memorandum to protest the Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations held last December.

Its chief, Mohamad Husain, said they have also apologized to Parti Warisan Sabah and PKR in Tawau for including them in the memorandum.

Mohamad said the joint memorandum was sent prior to the celebrations, following a group discussion with various parties and individuals and claimed the matter was ‘misunderstood’, as Warisan and PKR in Tawau were not involved in handing over the memorandum.