Sabah crisis deepens: Shafie now has majority

Warisan president is in state palace with 5 BN assemblymen who have jumped ship, giving him the right to be the new chief minister.

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Warisan president Shafie Apdal may have got up to 6 assemblymen to back him by leaving BN.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal has gone to the state palace together with five BN assemblymen who defected to Warisan.

The five assemblymen are Bobby Suan (Nabawan), Ewon Benedick (Kadamaian), Abidin Madingkir (Paginatan), Abdul Muis Picho (Sebatik), Hamisa Samad (Tg Batu), Osman Jamal (Balung).

Shafie, who arrived at the palace at about 3pm today accompanied by the five representatives, is making an attempt to be sworn in as Sabah chief minister, having the majority of the state’s assemblymen backing him now.

However, it is believed that the remaining assemblymen from Warisan, DAP and PKR have yet to arrive at the palace.

If Shafie succeeds in getting sworn in, it would plunge Sabah into another constitutional dilemma such as what happened in 1985 when two men were sworn in as chief minister.

Last night, Sabah BN chairman Musa Aman was sworn in before the Head of State Juhar Mahiruddin together with his new state cabinet members, including STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan who was named deputy chief minister.

There are currently about 100 Warisan supporters outside the state palace as they await patiently for any update from Shafie.

This is Shafie’s second attempt to be sworn in as the chief minister after he was barred from going up the hill to the palace yesterday morning.

It has since been rumoured that another BN assemblyman has also defected to Warisan, making the number of assemblymen jumping ship to six.

This would effectively reduce the number of BN-STAR assemblymen to 25 from 31 as stated last night by Musa when he was sworn in. -FMT