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WARISAN president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has accused certain Sabah political figures of placing personal positions above the interests of the state, warning that such conduct is eroding unity and distracting from the pressing needs of ordinary people.
He said the behaviour had become increasingly obvious, particularly among leaders willing to “discard principles” merely for not being allocated a seat to contest in the ongoing Sabah state election.
“There are leaders in Sabah who care more about protecting positions than demanding what Sabah deserves,” he said during Warisan’s Ceramah Mega last night.
“Today we can see it ourselves – those once united in a coalition now choose to contest against their own allies simply because they were denied a seat. Those fighting UMNO are GRS; those fighting GRS are STAR. What kind of unity is that?”
Shafie said the unity of Sabahans cannot and must not be built upon the pursuit of office, but instead must centre on the core issues that have long burdened the state.
He stressed that Warisan’s priority is tackling fundamental problems such as water supply, electricity reliability, infrastructure deficits and shrinking job opportunities.
“We once toppled the Barisan Nasional government over GST and 1MDB,” he said. “But today the people of Sabah are no longer talking about those issues. They are talking about having no water, unstable electricity, no jobs, hospitals lacking medicine and schools still made of wood.”
Shafie said Warisan remains committed to meeting public demands rather than clinging to power.
On governance, he said his previous administration had demonstrated its commitment to clean oversight by placing Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officials directly within the Chief Minister’s Department and the Finance Ministry.
“I personally placed the SPRM Sabah director in my office. The purpose was to monitor and prevent leakage,” he said. “If there are police and a red light, people won’t dare to break the rules. The same applies when the SPRM monitors. We want a clean government.”
He also criticised what he described as improper distribution of state funds.
“In today’s state budget, the Deputy State Secretary received an allocation of RM44 million. In history, even the Chief Secretary to the Government has never received that much. This should not happen,” he said.
Shafie rejected claims that Warisan was anti-Federal simply because it refused to merge with Peninsular-based parties.
“We love this country. I helped the Federal Government under Mahathir, Najib, Muhyiddin – I helped all of them,” he said.
“During Covid-19, Sabah contributed RM9 million to Federal departments. Which other state did that? Do not assume that if we oppose Peninsular parties, we do not love Malaysia.”
He said the spirit of ‘Sabah Tanah Airku’ reflected the assertion of rights, not a rejection of the nation.
Shafie added that Sabah had long served as a model of unity across ethnicities and religions, even before Peninsular parties became active in the state.
“I was invited by 8,000 Christians in Keningau, and they told me I was the only leader who gave them an extra day’s Christmas holiday,” he said.
“As leaders, we must be a blessing to all – helping every community regardless of race or faith.”
Shafie also issued a blunt warning to Warisan members who opt to contest as independents.
“Indeed, we will sack them. It is clearly stated in the party constitution,” he said. - November 17, 2025