Shafie names Leiking as Warisan successor

Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal has named Darell Leiking as his successor in the party.

According to Borneo Post, Shafie (above, right) said this during the Sabah legislative assembly session yesterday.

“If anything happens to me, (the) Moyog (assemblyperson) will take over,” said Shafie, who is the Senallang assemblyperson

Leiking (above), 52, is Shafie’s deputy. In 2016, they co-founded Warisan, which secured the chief ministership of Sabah two years later.

Both Shafie and Leiking retained their party positions unopposed last year.

Meanwhile, Shafie, who is the opposition leader, also urged the state government to table laws to prevent lawmakers from defecting.

He said without such laws, defections will cause political instability.

“As a Sabahan, I am embarrassed... I hide my face as a Sabahan,” he said.

Warisan was badly hit by defections over the past three years.

During the 2020 legislative assembly elections, Warisan won 23 seats. Six of the state assemblypersons have defected.

The Sabah government has listed its “anti-hopping bill” as the last agenda on its order paper for the ongoing legislative assembly sitting.

Yesterday, Sabah state assembly speaker Kadzim M Yahya promised that adequate time would be given for the debate on the bill.

Sabah was one of five states that does not have laws that will vacate a state assembly seat should the incumbent defect to another party.

The other states are Johor, Malacca, Pahang, and Terengganu. - Mkini