Dr M most needed in Peninsular — Shafie
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal wanted Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to stay across the South China Sea as the latter’s strength is needed in the Peninsular.
“We want him to come, but we want him to concentrate where he has the strength,” Shafie responded to a press question about talks of him not wanting Mahathir to campaign in Sabah.
“We have already discussed in length. We topple here, he topple in KL (Kuala Lumpur) where he is needed most because there the numbers of seats are more than what we have here. We can manage here. Let us manage together. They topple in KL, we topple here in Sabah,” he explained.
Shafie said the people’s desire for a tsunami of change can be felt by all political parties in Sabah, leading to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s unusually frequent general election (GE) visits to the state.
“There are a lot of issues, there is not only one issue (in Sabah). You talk about the rights of Sabahans, we have been deprived from what has been signed and agreed upon in 1963 but less has been mentioned about the cost of living, unemployment and opportunities in Sabah,” he said.
“Sabah is such a rich state and yet the poorest people in the country are in Sabah.
“I believe the Sabahans are wise enough to topple the existing (caretaker) government in Sabah,” he told the press after the Ceramah Perdana with Warisan, DAP and PKR leaders at Lintas Jaya in Kepayan here on Saturday.
When asked whether he thought failure to create alliances with smaller Sabah parties would lead to the detriment for change in the state, Shafie said Sabahans with the desire for change had left their respective parties and joined Warisan.
“Don’t divide your votes. Ensure you unite your vote. Vote the party that can topple BN and the only apparent party that can topple BN is the Warisan-led Pakatan Harapan. This is the group that can topple the BN government,” reminded Shafie.
“We want change, if you vote for STAR, there will be no change, if you vote for PCS and Harapan, there won’t be any change but I believe the fellow Sabahans want change to be done and for change to be done, you vote the Warisan-led opposition,” he emphasized.
The Warisan president also trusts that Sabahans will not be easily swayed by reigns of money coming towards them.
“Najib has indicated that cash is king but I’m sure Sabahans know well this time around,” he said.
“Sabahans cannot be easily bought by money. RM500, RM1,000, will not make them a billionaire, millionaire in a day.
“I think this coming election, Sabahans are wise enough not to divide their votes, they will be voting for a Warisan-led government. Sabahans know well this time around,” he added.
Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Pakatan Harapan Sabah chairman Christina Liew and other Warisan-PH GE14 candidates were also at the event.