‘I COULD HAVE BEEN VEEP BUT I GAVE WAY TO HIM’: MUSA AMAN CRIES FOUL ON SHAFIE – BUT OMITS TO SAY HE WANTED TO BE MB & SHAFIE PUSHED INTO FEDERAL POST?

SEMPORNA – Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman today addressed the accusations hurled towards him by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, including claims of sabotage that saw disciplinary actions taken against the latter while he was in Umno.

Speaking to a 10,000-strong audience in a ceremony here, Musa stressed that during his political career, he has never gone behind a comrade’s back, and was far from sabotaging Shafie who came from the same state.

In fact, he went out of his way to help Shafie, who is now local opposition Parti Warisan Sabah president, to get the backing of all Umno division chiefs in Sabah when the Semporna MP wanted to contest for the Umno vice presidency post back in 2009.

Musa related how he himself was asked by Umno members in this state to run for the same post, but he gave way to Shafie to avoid having two candidates from Sabah seeking the same position.

“Before that, in 2003, during the supreme council membership selection, we both contested and I was ranked fourth with 1,837 votes, while Mohd Shafie placed at eighth with 1,672 votes – I could have stood for vice presidency (2009), but I gave way to him.

“He asked me to help (in campaigning), I said all right and I called all the division chiefs across Sabah to have breakfast with Shafie, I asked everyone to support him as the sole candidate from Sabah.

“After winning, he did not even thank me and now he is saying Musa Aman sabotaged him.

“When he won (Umno vice president), Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) appointed him as a Federal minister for an important post never held by a Sabah leader namely Rural and Regional Development Minister,” he recalled.

Musa said this during the Semporna International Tourism Hub launch at Dataran Regatta Lepa here today with Najib in attendance.

He went on adding how Shafie never visited him after being appointed minister each time he return to Sabah, unlike other Federal ministers who came from Sabah.

“I had considered him a brother and a friend … We are both Sabahans, why not come (and tell) Musa this is my (ministry’s) allocation, we discuss what we can develop in Sabah, that was what I was hoping for but it never happened.

“If he wanted me to come to Kuala Lumpur and meet him there, I would but I never got such invite… And my door was always opened,” said Musa.

Musa said even more frustrating was when Shafie went against Najib and badmouthed him.

He added that with the strong support Shafie had from Najib, many had thought of them as brothers.

“At that time the Prime Minister was fonder of Shafie compared me, but it is okay I am not upset by that as I know Shafie was his (Najib’s) deputy (in the Defence Ministry).

“So how could he have the nerve to badmouth (Najib),” he said, while expressing confidence in Semporna folks to continue to choose Barisan Nasional in the 14th general elections.

– NST