Shafie threatens to sue Minister over remarks

Keningau: Shafie Apdal (pic) is consulting his lawyers with the aim of filing a suit against an Umno minister from Sabah over purported remarks made about the Parti Warisan Sabah chief's ancestry.Speaking at a function at Kampung Bunga Raya, Bingkor on Sunday, Shafie said his opponents continue to raise doubts about his ancestry in an effort to tarnish his reputation and create confusion with the people.

He said these were the same Umno leaders who did not say anything about his ancestry while he was still Umno vice president and a minister in the federal cabinet.

"Parti Warisan Sabah's growing popularity is not only a big threat to Umno-Barisan Nasional, but they can actually be toppled in the coming general election (GE14)," Shafie told Borneo Today.

"As such they are carrying out a smear campaign by claiming that Parti Warisan is a 'parti lanun' (party of pirates) and even question my ancestry.

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"As I have said before, Parti Warisan is a multi-racial party with Kadazandusun and Chinese leaders and that my great grandfather is buried in Semporna. So how can I be from another country."

He said his lawyers will be studying a speech made by the minister last week before legal action commences.

Shafie had a full day in Sabah's interior on Sunday where he also went on a walkabout in Tenom, greeting people from all walks of life and wishing them a bountiful Chinese New Year.

At the Bingkor gathering late Sunday, Shafie introduced Jake Nointin as the party's new Information Chief, and broadly hinted that the former PBS Youth chief had been shortlisted to contest in GE14 under the Warisan banner.

He also said that he had once spoken to Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the former Chief Minister and PBS president, and suggested they team up under a new party (Warisan) but the KDM strongman said he wanted to retire.

"Now I hear he may not retire after all. Now I'm getting feedback that the BN wants him to defend Tambunan (State) and Keningau (Parliament). Seems like they don't have successor despite the fact that Maximus Ongkili (PBS deputy president) has said he would like to contest in Tambunan," he said.

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Saying that in GE14 there much be a united front by the opposition so as not to split the votes, Shafie said that he can with PKR, DAP and PCS and urged them to be reasonable in their requests for seats.

"We are also negotiating with PKR so that it would be a Warisan candidate that would be fielded in Labuan," he added, saying he had received hundreds of requests from the people of Labuan that they want a Sabah party to represent them.

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