Star says justified in choosing Musa

Kota Kinabalu: Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (Star) defended its decision to support the state Barisan Nasional to form a new Sabah Government soon after the GE14 results, saying it had the democratic right to choose who to align itself with. Party Vice President II Saban Sawayan said in a statement that Star also did not breach the democratic right of the people to choose a government through the ballot box by its decision to align itself with the BN.

"The decision of Star led by its President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in supporting Tan Sri Musa Aman as Chief Minister and to enable him form a new state government was a legitimate exercise of democratic right.

"Furthermore, Star is not aligned to any party. Neither the BN nor Warisan. So it could choose either, in which case it decided to support the BN," he said.

Star came under fire for aligning with the state BN when the coalition was tied at 29 seats with Parti Warisan and its partners, PKR and DAP. Its two state seats gave the state BN a simple majority to form the new state government with Tan Sri Musa Aman being sworn-in as Chief Minister and handed the instrument of office by the TYT at the Istana.

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Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year.

However, delay by Musa in having his six Nominated Assemblymen appointed, as guaranteed under the constitution, enabled the defections of six state BN assemblymen to Warisan and its partners, paving way for Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to get himself sworn-in as Chief Minister instead, barely 24 hours after Musa had taken the oath of office.

According to Saban, its action in joining the BN camp was also vindicated as the second appointment of Chief Minister was ultra vires the state constitution going by the facts.

"His appointment was made after the defection of several BN representatives from Upko and Umno is ultra vires the state constitution.

"It also breached the democratic right of the people through the process of free and fair election through the ballot papers to choose the government by the people through the people for the people, not a government through defections," Saban argued.

He said Star insisted that Musa was properly appointed as Chief Minister.

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Parti Warisan had dismissed these claims as invalid.

Daily Express understands that although Musa's lawyers have filed the application seeking to nullify Shafie's appointment, it had yet to be served on Shafie's counsel, Douglas Lind.

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