I’m not a ‘political prostitute’ — Shafie
PENAMPANG: Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has stressed that he is not a ‘political prostitute’ that can be corrupted with power.
Shafie, who spoke to nearly 11,000 of his supporters at the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan (PH) Ceramah Perdana on Saturday night, asserted that he will not be swayed by money or political positions.
“That is why, enough is enough. I want to represent the voice of Sabahans at this coming election. I will defend the right of Sabahans. Warisan does not want to be tied with Kuala Lumpur.
“Enough is enough. We love the country, there is no doubt about that. I was willing to let go of my ministerial position and the Umno vice-president position because I loved Malaysia,” Shafie said at the event held at Lintas Jaya, Kepayan.
He stressed that Pakatan Harapan’s leaders, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang were willing to work with Tun Mahathir Mohammad because it was for the good of the country and not because they were power hungry.
Shafie also said he is confident that a wave of change is coming, describing it as the moment that Malaysians had always been waiting for.
“The products of Sabah must be enjoyed, by its own people,” he added.
He had also corrected all the misconceptions regarding Warisan’s sailboat logo, whereby he explained that the logo actually symbolizes Noah’s Ark (a story that is told in both the Quran and the Holy Bible).
Shafie also said China investors would still come to Malaysia even if Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not the Prime Minister.
“It doesn’t mean that China will not invest in Malaysia without Najib. China is interested in profit, not in Najib,” he said when asked about the Chinese investors’ keenness to invest in Malaysia.
“I am an economist, I know what is the interest of Chinese government there. They are here in Malaysia to invest and to make money and not to meet Najib,” he added.
When asked by the press, Shafie said he is confident China investors will come to Malaysia if the right opportunities are created in the country.
“Of course, if there is return in their investment. I am sure China will invest in Malaysia. We must be in a friendly-relation, business conducive environment,” asserted Shafie.
“If we can create (that), I am sure not only businessmen, investors from China will come, other parts of the world will come and invest, not only in Peninsula and, I hope so, many more in Sabah,” he added.
Recently, Barisan Nasional chairman Najib said cancelling the elaborate East Coast Rail Link project could harm Malaysia-China relations.
He said such a move might anger China, whose state-owned China Communications Construction Company had been appointed for the construction of the project.
Meanwhile, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) national president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has reminded Sabahans to think of their future and to not let their state remain as a ‘fixed deposit’.
Later in the event, it was announced that Umno Penampang deputy chief Datuk Freddy Sua along with 400 Sepanggar Umno members had left their party for Warisan.
Also present at the event were Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking, PKR Sabah chairperson Christina Liew and other Warisan and PH Sabah candidates for GE14.