TAWAU: Sabah may end up having a “cold relationship” with the Federal Government if the next Chief Minister’s political stance does not align with the Prime Minister, warned Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sec-Gen Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution.
“We want a Chief Minister who has a good relationship with the Federal Government. If the Chief Minister chooses to be adversarial, what happens to the people of Sabah? Relations will sour. That would be a loss (to Sabahans),” he said at a PH supporters’ gathering at the Hotspring Polling District Centre (PDM) in Merotai.
Saifuddin noted that while Sabah’s political history has consistently seen local leaders as Chief Ministers, the real challenge lies in managing the state’s relationship with Putrajaya.
He highlighted that essential resources and critical needs for Sabah, including salaries for police, military, doctors, and nurses, as well as hospital construction costs, disaster relief funding and community grants are overseen by the Prime Minister.
“Recently, the Federal Government led by the Prime Minister approved an additional RM600 million in special allocation for Sabah for next year, demonstrating the importance of political alignment,” he said.
He urged Merotai voters to support PH candidate Datuk Ruji Ubi, describing him as capable of safeguarding Sabah’s development future.
While acknowledging the credibility of the incumbent Merotai DUN representative, Sarifuddin Hata of Warisan, Saifuddin said Ruji is also a valuable asset to Sabah, with close ties to the Prime Minister.
“Ruji previously managed a RM60 billion education budget, overseeing 12,000 schools, five million students and 400,000 teachers nationwide as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education.
“As Secretary-General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, he supervised over 130,000 police personnel, 18,000 immigration officers, and tens of thousands of other security agency staff. Given his track record in managing large public service groups and a RM60 billion budget, we believe he is the ideal representative for Merotai.”
Saifuddin also highlighted Ruji’s experience as Director-General of the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), where he oversaw all allocations under the Prime Minister, giving him valuable insight into financial flows and fund management.
He emphasised that, as a candidate directly endorsed by Putrajaya, Ruji possesses extensive education, administrative experience, and problem-solving expertise.
“We hope our party machinery, including teams from Kedah, Perak, and Selangor, will maintain momentum despite the positive trend in support to ensure the people of Merotai truly back our candidate,” he said.
