MP took the easy way out by ‘jumping’, says Warisan leader

 

Azhar Matussin (left) said Mohamaddin Ketapi had abandoned the party and the people who had given him the mandate.

KOTA KINABALU: A Warisan Supreme Council member has taken a shot at Lahad Datu MP Mohamaddin Ketapi for quitting the party today, saying the former federal minister took the easy way out instead of staying true to the party’s struggles.

Azhar Matussin, who is Darau assemblyman, said it was unacceptable for Mohamaddin, 64, who is also the Segama assemblyman, to abandon the party and the people who had given him the mandate in the previous state election.

“Mohamaddin ran away from the fight, deserting his party colleagues. And now he is conspiring with the very people whom he fought against before.

“Whatever it is, the people will judge his actions when the time comes,” he said in a statement today.

“Nonetheless, we wish Mohamaddin all the best. We in Warisan will remain faithful to the party led by our president, Shafie Apdal.”

He said the party knew the resignation was coming as there was already talk that he would be leaving over the past few days.

Warisan lost a state and parliamentary seat after Mohamaddin’s resignation today. He announced that he would become an independent assemblyman supporting the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government.

He said he chose to support the state government as he wanted to bring progress to his constituencies, something he said was tough to do by being in the opposition.

He is the third state elected representative to leave Warisan after Sebatik assemblyman Hassan A Gani Pg Amir on Feb 25 and Sindumin assemblyman Yusof Yacob on Oct 8.

However, he is the first MP to quit the party after the 2018 general election.

Azhar said an elected representative did not have to defect in order to bring development as the government was duty-bound to develop all areas no matter what. - FMT