Umno’s prerogative to choose allies for Sabah polls, says Shafie

 

Warisan president Shafie Apdal said he is open to possible collaboration with other parties and would not reject anyone.

PETALING JAYA: Umno has every right to choose which party it wants to collaborate with in the upcoming Sabah state elections, says Warisan president Shafie Apdal.

Shafie was commenting on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi saying that Barisan Nasional (BN) is willing to consider working with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Sabah after the state elections.

Zahid, who is also BN chairman, said they are ready to collaborate with any party in order to form the Sabah government.

“That is their right, I can’t stop them. If they have decided so, then it’s up to them. I don’t want to interfere with what they want to do.

“We (Warisan) are open, and as I have said, we do not want to reject anyone. The important thing is to strengthen our party as a platform that fights for Sabahans and their rights,” Shafie told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Kota Kinabalu.

Zahid’s statement comes in the wake of Sabah Umno hinting last Saturday that it was willing to form a coalition with other parties ahead of the next state elections.

Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin was reported to have said the state’s current political landscape meant only a coalition would be able to form a government.

The state assembly will be automatically dissolved by October next year, upon which the next polls need to be held within 60 days. However, chief minister Hajiji Noor had previously hinted that elections could be called before the expiry of the legislature’s term.

It was also speculated that Sabah Umno and Warisan would work together in the state polls after Shafie announced such a possibility at his party’s general assembly last December.

This was played down by Sabah Umno leaders, while the national BN leadership said it would decide on the matter.

Earlier today, FMT cited a source as saying that BN and PH are expected to collaborate in the upcoming Sabah state elections, continuing its alliance at the federal level, established following the 15th general election in November 2022.

The source said the alliance would not involve the Hajiji Noor-led Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), despite the coalition being part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.

Instead, the source said the tie-up is likely to include Warisan and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), which are also part of the current federal administration.

Commenting on Anwar announcing that the Cabinet has approved the start of the diesel subsidy rationalisation programme, Shafie said it was an important step to help lighten the government’s burden.

“I see the efforts made by Anwar as beneficial in addressing the government’s burden, allowing us to channel assistance more effectively to the people in need,” he said. - FMT