Sabah DAP backs Shafie

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah DAP is in concert behind Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal as the head of the state government leadership and will support whatever decision made regarding the stand of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) to spread its wings to Sabah.

Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Stephen Wong Tien Fatt said his party believed that Shafie, who is also Parti Warisan Sabah president (Warisan), had the capability to handle the issue well.

“We know he (Shafie) is capable of handling this issue and we will certainly be behind him in whatever decision he makes (on Bersatu’s entry into Sabah),” he said.

Stephen, who is also Sabah’s Health and Wellbeing Minister, said this when met by reporters after attending the Chinese New Year Open House organised by Kota Kinabalu DAP here yesterday.

Also present at the open house were DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, Sabah DAP secretary Chan Foong Hin and Sabah DAP Women chief Jannie Lasimbang.

Stephen was asked to comment on the announcement of Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Bersatu’s agreement to set up branches in Sabah.

On Friday, Tun Dr Mahathir said the decision was made after members of Sabah Umno quit the party but did not want to join Warisan which is the ally of Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Commenting further, Stephen said that Bersatu’s entry into Sabah was seen as able to have an impact on PH, but DAP realised that Bersatu’s decision to set up branches in the state could not be stopped as it was their right to do so.

However, Stephen said Sabah DAP did not agree with Bersatu’s actions in accepting former Umno leaders to join the party, and for now, he was not been able to visualise how the DAP and Bersatu could co-operate as components of PH in Sabah.

Meanwhile, Lim, when met by reporters, did not want to elaborate on the matter before hearing a statement from Shafie.

Lim called for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to re-look previous cases, including those involving alleged judicial interference in an appeal concerning the late Karpal Singh and also the Indira Gandhi child conversion case.

“The RCI is needed because of the revelations by a Court of Appeal judge of judicial corruption and interference.

“This is because in the new Malaysia we want to build, the three branches of government are fully respected and integrity is restored,” he said.

He was commenting on an affidavit filed by Hamid Sultan Abu Backer about misconduct in the judiciary, which has gone viral and caused much discussion in the legal fraternity.

The 65-page affidavit was filed in support of lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo’s court application seeking a declaration that Chief Justice Richard Malanjum had failed in his duty to complete investigations into two widely publicised cases of judicial interference.

Earlier, 200 members of Umno and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) from the Matunggong branch handed membership forms to join Sabah DAP to Lim and Stephen.