Sabah is not Perak, says Jeffrey after CM ruling

PETALING JAYA: Sabah opposition chief Jeffrey Kitingan has questioned the High Court’s decision today to maintain Shafie Apdal as chief minister on the basis of affidavits from assemblymen, saying it was setting a dangerous trend that could be replicated later without the need to go back to legislative assemblies.

Jeffrey, who is the president of Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), said the reasons given by the court that there was no need for a motion of confidence in the state assembly seemed to suggest that Sabah’s case was similar to the Perak crisis in 2009.

“This is to say that our constitution is the same as the Perak case, which I don’t think so,” Jeffrey said, referring to the political crisis in Perak which brought down the then Pakatan Rakyat state government just ten months after winning the 2008 general election.

The Kota Kinabalu High Court today threw out former chief minister Musa Aman’s bid to declare Shafie’s appointment as chief minister in May as illegal.

Musa named Sabah Yang Di-Pertua Juhar Mahiruddin and Shafie as defendants.

Explaining the decision, judge Yew Jen Kie said Juhar only needed “extraneous evidence” such as statutory declarations by assemblymen who defected, when he decided to swear-in Shafie.

Shafie was sworn in less than 48 hours after Musa took the oath on May 10, following Barisan Nasional’s victory in the elections. But several Umno and Upko assemblymen later defected to pledge allegiance to Shafie’s Warisan-Pakatan Harapan alliance.

Jeffrey asked if the court was now giving the governor powers to decide who has the confidence of the majority, instead of the state assembly.

“Does this also mean the Agong can decide whether Dr Mahathir Mohamad can remain as prime minister?” asked Jeffrey.

“This court decision is ridiculous. Where is democracy and the rule of law?” -FMT