People matter more than who becomes PM - Shafie

KIMANIS POLLS | Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal today said the people matter more than who will occupy the position of prime minister.

Speaking on the Kimanis by-election campaign trail, the Warisan president added that he is a fighter who speaks up for Sabahans and had, in the past, even argued with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

"If I wanted positions, I would just remain quiet as a cabinet minister... but that is not the case. I'm a fighter.

"I've since before argued with Mahathir and quarrelled with Anwar," said Shafie when launching a new Warisan branch in Kampung Kimanis.

Warisan's candidate Karim Bujang is contesting the Kimanis parliamentary seat against BN's Mohamad Alamin. Warisan is also supported by Pakatan Harapan, a political ally.

In his speech, Shafie stressed that the priority lies with the people.

"I've told them both (Mahathir and Anwar) not to quarrel on who becomes the prime minister. What is important is the management of our country so that we can prosper."

He also reiterated that he would support Mahathir as long as the latter remains as the premier.

Shafie was previously the rural and regional development minister under the BN administration but was dropped by former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak for questioning him on 1MDB.

Meanwhile, Shafie said he was not satisfied with the RM52 million special allocation to be received by Sabah under Budget 2020, compared to the RM26 million in the past.

"I told the prime minister, I agreed to take RM52 million because we don't have money. But I want the method to be reviewed. It is definitely more than that," he added.

Shafie said he had told Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to review the mechanism as the amount given to Sabah does not tally with the fact that the state received the highest number of tourists in Malaysia.  - Mkini