Warisan president Shafie Apdal has confirmed receiving a show-cause notice from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) over remarks he made on the death of student Zara Qairina Mahathir.
The former Sabah chief minister said he would respond through his lawyers.
“Yes, I’ve received the show-cause letter from the AGC yesterday.
"I will leave it to my legal team to handle this matter,” he said during a press conference at the party's headquarters in Kota Kinabalu.
The notice related to a speech Shafie delivered in Batu Sapi, Sandakan on Sept 19, where he described Zara’s death as “murder” while criticising authorities for delays in convening the inquest.
A video clip of the event later went viral, prompting calls from defence lawyers that his words could amount to contempt of court.
On Monday, the Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court issued Shafie a show-cause notice following an application for contempt by lawyer Ram Singh, who is representing one of the accused children in a separate bullying case tied to Zara’s death.
Ram argued that Shafie’s remarks had gone beyond fair political comment and risked prejudicing ongoing judicial proceedings.
The show-cause notice requires Shafie to explain why his comments should not be considered contemptuous. If his explanation is rejected, he may face legal action.
The development adds another layer of political and legal scrutiny to a case that has already gripped national attention and sparked debate over the boundaries of political speech during sensitive judicial inquiries.
Hajiji's ethnic Chinese DCM pledge
At the press conference, Shafie also trained his guns on Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor for announcing that he will appoint a Chinese deputy if Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) retains control of the state government in the upcoming election.
Shafie questioned the GRS chairperson's pledge to offer the Chinese community a deputy chief minister’s post, only after the next election.
“When Warisan was the government, we appointed a Bajau as chief minister.
"The deputy was a Chinese, another deputy was a Kadazan-Dusun and a Bajau.
"The current chief minister can promise to appoint one, so appoint now. You are the chief minister today. Why wait until after the election?” he said.
Hajiji made the announcement yesterday and further stated he had previously appointed many experts and advisers of Chinese descent in various fields such as oil and gas, finance, investment, and law.
Most recently, he said, he had appointed former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak David Wong, who is of Chinese descent, to lead the Sabah Law Reform Advisory Council.
Hajiji also announced that the state would be recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) qualification, a standardised high school certificate undertaken by students from Malaysia’s independent Chinese secondary schools. - Mkini
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