Warisan govt holding ground, no mass exodus of lawmakers
A widely anticipated mass exodus of Parti Warisan Sabah state and federal lawmakers has a fizzled out for now.
The predicted domino effect with two assemblymen from Warisan’s coalition partner Upko leaving on June 15 failed to gain the much-needed momentum that the state Opposition Perikatan Nasional hoped for in toppling the Warisan state government.
Chief Minister and Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has managed to hold on despite the push led by his long-time political nemesis Tan Sri Musa Aman,
Sabah’s longest serving chief minister of 15 years under Sabah Barisan Nasional’s 25-year rule.
“It was anticipated that former Sabah Barisan assemblymen and some from the Warisan Plus government would begin leaving in droves.
“Some of the assemblymen might have gotten cold feet or they realised that Musa could not pull off the move,” said a Sabah Umno source.
There was confidence in the state Opposition camp after the prosecution dropped 46 timber-related money-laundering and corruption charges against Sabah Umno’s sole assemblyman Musa. Shafie’s right-hand man Datuk Peter Anthony, a state minister, was charged with money laundering connected to a 2014
Risda land deal on the same day.
“Coincidence or not, the message or perception on the ground was Musa was returning to Sabah to lead the charge to topple Shafie with federal blessing,” the source said.
Another factor was the mistaken belief that the Federal Court was set to make a decision on Musa’s final appeal that he was the rightful Sabah chief minister.
Musa, ousted by Shafie barely 48-hours after being sworn in by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri in May 2018, had appealed to the Federal Court after losing his claim twice at the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Sabah Umno sources said many lawmakers believed that the Federal Court sitting on June 25 would decide favourably on Musa’s appeal to be chief minister. This would pave the way for him to reclaim his position as chief minister.
But the upcoming Federal Court sitting is only for case management and to set dates and venue for of the case, the source said, adding that this threw a spanner into the works for more to cross the floor after Upko’s assemblymen Datuk Limus Jury (Kuala Penyu) and Datuk James Ratib (Sugud) quit.
Other factors, according to Sabah Umno sources, was that Sabah lawmakers were also observing political developments at the federal level and were holding off on making a decision until after the July sitting of Parliament.