KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was told not to be arrogant and overconfident by snubbing the state opposition alliance, Gabungan Sabah.
Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah president Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin said no opposition political party can form the government in Sabah without an alliance in the coming 14th General Election.
Lajim said the former Barisan Nasional minister and Umno vice president had only recently entered the opposition realm and he was being arrogant and overconfident by dismissing any form of cooperation with other local parties in a recent statement.
“Even if Warisan is unwilling to work with us, they should not talk bad about the leadership of other opposition parties (under the alliance) as we share a common purpose to topple the current BN government,” he said in a joint press conferene with Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.
Gabungan Sabah is an alliance comprising Harapan, SAPP, State Reform Party (Star) and Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah. The alliance is chaired by former Sabah finance minister Datuk Mohd Noor Mansor.
Lajim also branded Shafie a hypocrite for championing the “Sabah for Sabahans” and Malaysia Agreement 1963 only after losing his ministerial and party posts with the BN.
The issues have long been highlighted by parties under Gabungan Sabah, he said.
As for Yong, he claimed Warisan appears to be a proxy for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Shafie had recently called on the people of Sabah to accept Dr Mahathir as the prime minister designate for Pakatan Harapan, should the coalition form the next government.
Yong said Shafie should tell the more about the issues caused by the former prime minister and what they should forgive him for.
Yong said the local parties came together to form Gabungan Sabah to strengthen their position in the state.
"Warisan has been actively organising programmes including at the constituencies held by state opposition parties.
"Warisan appears to be trying to split Sabah opposition parties and this raise question on its real motive," he said.