What happened to your election pledge, Sabah Umno asks Warisan after MPs appointed to GLCs

Warisan president Shafie Apdal speaks at a ceramah in Semporna on the campaign trail for the 14th general election. (Bernama pic)

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin today accused Warisan of going back on its election pledge not to appoint elected representatives as heads of government-linked companies (GLCs), a day after two MPs from the ruling party were announced as heads of state GLCs.

Speaking to FMT, he said Warisan and its ally Pakatan Harapan (PH) had specifically promised before the last general election not to place their elected representatives in such positions.

“The recent appointments of Warisan MPs at Sabah GLCs show that Warisan has reneged on its promise.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s only one appointment – that already means they have not fulfilled what they said. Chief Minister Shafie Apdal promised this. Where is his integrity?”

Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin.

Shafie, who is Warisan president, yesterday announced the appointments of Penampang MP Darell Leiking as chairman of Sabah Oil and Gas Development Corporation Sdn Bhd and Sepanggar MP Azis Jamman as head of state investment arm Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd.

Both men were part of PH’s federal Cabinet before its fall from power.

Shafie defended the move, saying it was for the good of the people as the MPs had the experience and capability to lead the GLCs and bring the state forward.

He also said more than 95% of GLCs in Sabah are led by civil servants, professionals and bankers to name a few.

Warisan’s election pledge stated that elected representatives would not be made the chairmen of statutory bodies or GLCs as they would need to focus on serving the people.

Bung, who is Kinabatangan MP, said unlike Warisan-PH, Barisan Nasional had not made any such pledge during its election campaign.

“Neither did Perikatan Nasional,” he said, adding that this allowed them to appoint their elected representatives as leaders of GLCs or statutory bodies.

He also said the appointments of Leiking and Azis were only the latest in the list of incompetencies by the current administration.

“They have not fulfilled their election manifesto, and now they have broken their promise,” he said, claiming that Warisan had been forced to appoint elected representatives to such positions in order to boost support for the party and state coalition.

“This is like spitting in the wind,” he added. - FMT