More Umno members, leaders will support Warisan, says Sabah rep

Umno’s Kemabong assemblyman Jamawi Jaafar says he is not joining PH or its components, only supporting Warisan in Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: Umno’s Kemabong assemblyman Jamawi Jaafar, who has pledged support to Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), believes more Sabah Umno members and leaders are set to back the party but he remains coy on details.

He was responding to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement yesterday that Barisan Nasional (BN) members who wanted to defect to Pakatan Harapan (PH) would not be accepted as registered members of parties in the coalition.

When asked for his comments, Jamawi said he was not joining PH or its components.

“Those in the state government are mainly those from Warisan and its partners, DAP and PKR, not PH,” Jamawi said in a telephone interview with FMT. He also dismissed suggestions that Mahathir’s announcement applied to him.

“Warisan and PH are cooperating only at the federal level. I’m supporting Warisan in Sabah.”

Warisan formed the state government after six BN assemblymen agreed to support the pact between Warisan and its partners, DAP and PKR, who are components of PH.

Warisan and its partners had won 29 seats in the general election, tying in numbers with BN.

Two assemblymen from STAR later defected to BN’s camp, giving Sabah BN a simple majority which resulted in its chairman Musa Aman being sworn in as chief minister.

However, Warisan later obtained a simple majority when the six BN assemblymen, including Jamawi, joined Warisan’s pact. Warisan president Shafie Apdal was then sworn in as chief minister.

Both Musa and Shafie have had their Cabinets sworn in by Sabah governor Juhar Mahiruddin, giving rise to what people call a constitutional crisis in Sabah which may go to court for settlement. -FMT