It’s all up to Sabahans now, says PM

Kota Kinabalu: It is all up to the people of Sabah now to decide on whether or not they want to progress and leap forward with a state government that is aligned with the Federal Government, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) said.

The Prime Minister said the fact that Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal had opted not to be aligned with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Federal Government before could not be undone, but the people have the chance to change the direction of the state when they go to the polls today (Saturday).

“We are having an election (to change the direction of the government), so why don’t we change it? The one who can change it is not me, but all of you who are in front or me here. It’s the right thing to do. I can only ask you to do it, I cannot make you, let alone force you to do it. It’s your right to choose as enshrined in our Constitution. What do you want? If you want to go straight, you follow me, but if you want to go that side, you follow them. We want to leap forward,” he said in his speech on his last stretch on the campaign trail for the Sabah state election here.

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Also present were PN candidate for Sulaman seat who is also Sabah PN chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and PN candidate for Tamparuli seat who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah Secretary-General Datuk Jahid Jahim.

Muhyiddin, who is Bersatu President, also said that he was really disappointed when his good friend Shafie did not keep his promise to stand by him when he needed support at the most critical time.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also expressed hope to see the Land Below the Wind grow to be outstanding in various aspects including rapid development, various job opportunities and better telecommunications and internet services.

“This is my dreams,” he said. However, he said the dreams could only come true if the people chose to be with the PN government.

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In TUARAN, Muhyiddin expressed his disappointment towards his ‘brother’, Shafie, for not lending his support when the former needed him the most.

Speaking during a gathering at the Sawah district polling centre (PDM) here at Kg Sungai Damit, he said Bersatu and Warisan should have remained united under the new banner of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

“When it came to the most critical moment, before that, he came to my house. (We were) hugging. During that time, there was no Covid yet. I hugged him. He hugged me. (I said that) ‘we are friends,’. (He told me that) ‘Alhamdulillah, don’t you worry brother’. (However) when I needed the support he said that he didn’t want to support me. He went his own way. 

“He didn’t go with Perikatan Nasional,” Muhyiddin lamented, in what seemed to be reference to PN’s political coup which took place earlier this year.

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“Where is your promise, brother Shafie Apdal?” he asked. 

He further revealed that he had even called Shafie to invite to form a government, only to get his phone calls rejected.