Kota Kinabalu: It will not be easy for any political coalition to form a stable federal government without the support of Sabah and Sarawak, according to Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
The Parti Warisan President and former Chief Minister said Malaysia’s political future could not be reduced to numbers in Parliament, as Sabah and Sarawak were central to the formation of the country.
“Malaysia was formed not because of numbers, race or religion, but because of the needs of people from all parts of the country,” he said in an interview with BFM Radio, Tuesday (Aug 4).
Shafie was responding to Parti Bangsa Malaysia President Datuk Larry Sng’s prediction that Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) could secure a simple majority in the next general election without relying on parties from Sabah and Sarawak.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (Aug 2), Sng said BN and PN had won a combined 98 seats in the 2022 general election and would need only another 14 to reach the 112-seat threshold required to form the government.
He said such an outcome could mean Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah would no longer play the role of “kingmakers”, particularly in the event of another hung Parliament.
Shafie acknowledged that the possibility was a concern, but said the political landscape in Peninsular Malaysia remained deeply divided.
He said a coalition might be able to cross the simple-majority threshold, but forming a stable and commanding government would be another matter.
“I have never seen political parties in the peninsula so divided,” he said, pointing to the number of major parties competing for support.
Shafie said this was why Sabah and Sarawak would continue to matter in federal politics, despite suggestions that a government could be formed without them.
He also repeated the call for one-third of parliamentary seats to be allocated to Sabah and Sarawak, saying this reflected the position of the Borneo territories following Singapore’s departure from Malaysia.
He said the importance of the two states should not only be recognised when political coalitions needed their support to form a government.
Their position, he said, was rooted in the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the circumstances surrounding Malaysia’s formation.
Shafie also disclosed that Warisan had been approached by political blocs, but said the party would remain consistent in its stand.
He said Warisan was prepared to work with any federal government in the national interest, provided the Constitution, the rights of Sabah and Sarawak and the needs of the people were respected.
“We are building a nation not for a day or a month, but for generations to come,” he said.
