Warisan to cooperate with parties who ‘speak the truth’
by Jegathisan Sivanesan · Borneo Post OnlineKOTA KINABALU (Nov 17): Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) is still open to election cooperations but only with parties who “speak the truth”.
Its president, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, stated this when he was asked to comment on Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders’ recent statement that the coalition is willing to work with local parties but discussions should be initiated earlier.
The Senallang assemblyman reiterated that the party has no issues with the idea of forming cooperations, which is evident from their current partnership with Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional at the federal level.
“Yes, I agree that such discussions should be initiated earlier. I myself have informed this some time ago, even to Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. He came to my house, you can ask him.
“But after he visited my house, he then took my assemblymen. How can I work with people like that? That is not practicing what you preach – speak the truth,” he told reporters after officiating the Warisan Sepanggar annual general meeting at the Federal Administration Complex here on Sunday.
On another note, Shafie questioned whether Sabah was better off before or after the ruling government came into power, pointing out several unresolved issues still plaguing the state such as its infrastructure.
He also rued Sabah’s repeated begging for aid from the Federal government, such as Sabah Electricity’s recent statement that the state could potentially be facing a blackout if federal subsidies do not continue.
“In Sarawak, they do not need to wait for the Ministry of Education to build schools. They build them first, and then the Federal Government pays. Why can’t we do that?
“Now, I am not saying that our people should be exactly like the Sarawakians, but we need a change, and we cannot change unless the people of Sabah want to change.
“Some Sabahans are still living in darkness. Are the lives of the rakyat better now after four years of being ruled by GRS? Or were they better off before they took over?” he said.