Umno: We’ll prove Warisan wrong

Sabah Umno leader says Warisan 'unproven' and it's president, Shafie Apdal, 'didn't do much” for the state when in power.

PETALING JAYA: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) will prove Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) wrong on the opposition party’s assertion that the state was no longer a “fixed deposit” for the ruling coalition, says a senior Umno leader.

Speaking to FMT, Umno supreme council member Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin – who is from Sabah – said it was premature of Warisan, in particular its treasurer-general Terrence Siambun to make the claim.

Yesterday, Siambun had reportedly said that the “winds of change” were sweeping through Sabah and that although BN was still confident that Sabahans would remain its electoral “fixed deposit”, the “facts” show otherwise.

But Rosnah said it was BN which “talked based on facts and figures”.

“The votes in the previous elections speak for themselves. The people know which party has fought for them and brought development to the people of Sabah,” said Rosnah, who is Papar MP.

Umno is the lynchpin of the state BN, holding 31 of the 48 state seats won by the BN in the last state election, which was held together with the last general election in May 2013.

“BN has a good track record in Sabah and with the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak and Chief Minister Musa Aman, development will continue in Sabah.”

Rosnah, who is deputy works minister, said unlike BN, Warisan was still “unproven”.

She said even when the party’s leaders were in the government, namely Warisan president Shafie Apdal, they didn’t do much for Sabah.

“Shafie didn’t fight for Sabah when he was the rural and regional development minister, a very powerful portfolio.

“When Shafie was in the government, he wasn’t a team player and didn’t do much for the state,” Rosnah claimed.

However, she admitted that Sabah BN could not take things for granted and had to work hard to get the people’s support in the next general election (GE14). -FMT