Warisan has defended its questioning of the arrangements for official celebrations of Sabah governor Musa Aman’s birthday after Chief Minister Hajiji Noor accused the party of dragging the palace into politics.
Warisan president Shafie Apdal said these were merely honest questions and were not an attack or insult on the state palace.
“Public money must be spent wisely. Every ringgit must be justified.
“In a democracy, asking questions about government spending is not wrong. It is not only allowed but also necessary. It’s called check-and-balance.
“If leaders can’t be questioned, especially about how they use public funds, then something is seriously wrong,” Shafie (above) said in a statement today.
On Thursday, Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking and information chief Azis Jamman criticised the Sabah government’s purported plans to hold official events to celebrate the governor’s birthday over three months, saying that it misplaces priorities and is a waste of funds.
‘Politics clouded their judgment’
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joachim Gunsalam later clarified that there will only be seven events held in June, although the birthday is on March 30.
This year’s celebrations will cost 30 percent less than last year, which had 12 events held in conjunction with the official birthday.
On Friday, Hajiji reportedly chastised the Warisan duo for supposedly politicising the celebrations.
“As chief minister, I am duty-bound to protect and defend the Istana Negeri as an institution, regardless of who holds the position of governor,” he said.
“Clearly, politics has clouded their judgement, preventing them from distinguishing the fundamental differences between government, politics, and the Istana,” he was quoted as saying.
He also clarified that Musa had initially supposedly wanted to skip this year’s official birthday because it coincides with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
There was also little time to organise the celebration and it would incur unnecessary costs.
However, Hajiji said he believed the matter should instead be discussed in the state cabinet, which led to the decision to have a more modest celebration in June.
‘Trying to shut people up’
Meanwhile, Shafie reiterated Warisan’s call on the state government to get its priorities right.
He said the government should put the people first in the face of problems like poor infrastructure, rising food prices, unemployment, floods, and the lack of basic services.
“Warisan believes in responsible spending and transparency. We hear leaders talking about saving money, but when it comes to government events, those rules don’t seem to apply. That’s why we asked the question.
“Darell and Azis have both been in government. They know how these events work. Their questions were not personal or disrespectful, but were part of a healthy democracy.
“It is dangerous when any government starts calling every question ‘a lie’ just because it comes from the opposition. That’s not leadership. That’s insecurity. That’s trying to shut people up,” he said. - Mkini
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