Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan (Warisan) President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal is still in two minds over which seat he is going to contest in the coming 15th general election (GE15).
He said there are several considerations to be made before deciding to defend the Semporna parliamentary seat that he has held since GE9 in 1995 when he was with Umno, and GE14 in 2018 with Warisan.
“I’m not sure yet (defending Semporna), I haven’t made a decision. We will see when the time comes, “ he said when met by reporters after launching the Putatan Warisan GE15 machinery, here, Sunday night.
In GE14, Shafie defended the Semporna parliamentary seat when he obtained a majority of 20,674 votes, but there has been talks claiming that he would contest the Lahad Datu parliamentary seat in GE15 against its incumbent Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi who quit Warisan in October 2021.
Meanwhile, Shafie dismissed rumours that more Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) elected representatives are set to follow Bandau Assemblyman Datuk Wetrom Bahanda in quitting GRS to join Warisan.
Shafie admitted that he had heard such speculation but refused to believe it as he had yet to determine its authenticity.
“Don’t believe what you hear and see, because some of it might not be true. I will say something about this when the time comes,” he said on the sidelines of an event here Sunday night.
There was talk on social media that four more assemblymen from GRS were set to quit the coalition to join Warisan. This included an assemblyman for a constituency in Kudat. A Warisan leader in Kudat said he had also heard the rumours.
Meanwhile, Shafie pointed out that Warisan had the most number of assemblymen in the Sabah assembly with 18 elected representatives.
“Our time will come,” he said.
On Saturday, Wetrom crossed over to Warisan, in the first defection from the ruling coalition in Sabah. He was previously with Bersatu.
GRS Chairman Hajiji Noor was reported to have said that Wetrom had yet to send any resignation letter to Bersatu despite his announcement on social media.
Wetrom won the Bandau seat with a 3,363-vote majority in the 2020 state election, defeating candidates from Warisan, Usno, Parti Cinta Sabah (Cinta), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and an independent.
