Kota Kinabalu: The situation in Sabah is not a political crisis but a constitutional crisis which every single assemblyman has sworn to protect, according to Warisan Supreme Council member Mazliwati Abdul Malek.
“The issue should be resolved in the DUN (State Assembly). The judiciary platform should be the last resort,” said Mazliwati, who is a lawyer and also MA63 activist, in a statement.
“According to Article 6(3) of the State Constitution, it is the prerogative of the Sabah TYT to appoint a Chief Minister from a party who commands the confidence of members of the Assembly.
“Read this together with Article 6(7), the political party must be the one that has won the majority of the elected seats of the Legislative Assembly in a general election.
“Therefore, the party that won majority in the election shall be elected as the Chief Minister of Sabah,” she said.
“What is wrong with the picture today?
“We have Hajiji who hopped out of PN and is free to do so because he did not table anti-hop law in Sabah.
“We have Hajiji who insists that GRS is a political party and, therefore, everyone in GRS is having two political parties.
“And should GRS be not a political party, we have Hajiji who is not a member of any political party heading the State as Chief Minister.
“And even if GRS is a political party, we have a political party created after the general election.
“What are we seeing right now is the Sabah Constitution being ridiculed again and again by those who are willing to hold onto the last thin string of power. They even dare to interpret the Constitution according to their needs.
“Joachim, for instance, is trying to interpret Article 6(7) to apply only during election. There is no timeline stated under the Constitution. The Sabah Constitution merely states that the majority political party shall be the Chief Minister.
“If Joachim is true, he is allowing any political party to take the back door and then shout Sabah Constitution as the protectorate.
“All this while Warisan has been deprived and denied of this right under the Constitution. It is high time we respect the law. Be you holding the highest position in the land or otherwise. It is about time the self-appointed political analyst and constitutional experts who sprout like mushroom in rainy season to stop interpreting the Constitution according to their whims and fancies just to legitimise the illegitimate,” she said.
