Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor should adhere to the Sabah State Constitution and resign.
“This period of political chaos in the State is the outcome of the Chief Minister's own doing when he wants to keep his post after the 15th General Election where Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia/ Perikatan Nasional was no longer in the Federal Government,” Shafie said after a press conference, Saturday.
He said the Chief Minister is “on his own” and with no certainty of the support of the majority of the other elected members of the State Assembly, should resign.
“Nobody knows whether the Chief Minister will now command the confidence of the majority the elected members of the State Legislature and the majority of these members have the right to choose another elected member to be the Chief Minister by presenting their choice to the Head of State at any time,” he said.
Shafie said any statement from the Chief Minister or any of his followers (who have left Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia) to appease the people, will not stop speculations that his position as Chief Minister now is not attainable.
“Especially where Article 6 (3) read with Article 6 (7) of the Sabah State Constitution requires the Chief Minister to be the leader of the party that won a majority of the elected seats in the 2020 State General Election.
“Hajiji having left Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia as its member is not a member or a leader any political party at all.
“Hajiji making a statement to form a new political party to keep his position is not just proof of ‘party-hopping’ but a betrayal of the mandate of the people of Sabah who voted for GRS where it was led by Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia/ Perikatan Nasional.
“Gabungan Rakyat Sabah was formed by former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin back in the 2020 State Election with Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) dan United Sabah National Organisation (Usno).
“Gabungan Rakyat Sabah was subsequently registered as a political party before the 15th General Election and succeeded to form a State Government under the banner of GRS + BN.
“It is unclear whether Bersatu Sabah as the backbone of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will choose to remain in GRS,” he said.
He said Warisan would not pressure Hajiji to resign as the Chief Minister but the Sulaman Assemblyman himself should understand his current position based on the State Constitution.
Mohd Shafie said Warisan was leaving it to Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin to determine the position of Hajiji as the Chief Minister and the Sabah Government.
Asked if Warisan would cooperate with any party to form the State Government, Mohd Shafie said the priority now was to determine the position of the Chief Minister and State Government according to the law.
Asked further if Warisan had secured the majority support of state assemblymen, he said: Stick to the law first, not the numbers."
"I sympathise with Sabah people for having to face this kind of political uncertainty, so what is needed now is to determine a firm position (Chief Minister and State Government) based on the provisions of existing laws,” he added.
