KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — Former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has touted the idea that the Opposition should have “fresh leadership”, even in East Malaysia.
Malaysiakini reported that he did not nominate himself as one such candidate to become a leader.
“Well, I did not say that it should be me. But if Malaysians think that a person coming from peninsula Malaysia has been presenting themselves as the leader for the last 60 years, why not a Sabahan or Sarawakian for that matter?” Shafie said during an interview with BFM 89.9.
He said the process involves nation-building, and rhetorically asked why East Malaysians could not provide or render their services to the country.
The Parti Warisan Sabah president has made an effort in recent times to project himself on the national stage, such as by announcing that Warisan wanted to expand throughout Malaysia.
He also burnished his credentials by pointing out his three decades of experience in federal politics and governance.
“I am not alien to the political arena in peninsula Malaysia,” Shafie said.
The Semporna MP’s career prior to founding Warisan in 2016 included posts in Umno’s Youth wing and supreme council.
Shafie had also served as Umno’s vice-president but was later sacked by then-president Datuk Seri Najib Razak after he spoke out against the 1MDB scandal.
He held several Cabinet portfolios from 1999 to 2015, including as deputy housing and local government minister, deputy defence minister, domestic trade and consumerism minister, national unity, arts, culture and heritage minister, and rural and regional development minister.
He also said in the interview that Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its allies could garner support to win the 14th general election in 2018 because they had something to rally the people against the Barisan Nasional government such as corruption, 1MDB, and the Goods and Services Tax.
However, for the 15th general election, Shafie noted that the Opposition has no such common platform when dealing with the Perikatan Nasional government.
He also declined to specify if Warisan will align itself with Parti Pejuang Tanah Air under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as opposed to PH, only saying that Warisan is aligned with all Opposition leaders.
He cited how all 108 Opposition MPs in the Dewan Rakyat voted against Budget 2021 on Tuesday as proof, but conceded that it did not mean ‘it is good enough for us now”.
“To win the hearts of Malaysians, we need to have a recipe that we can present for the coming GE15, such as by platforming formidable young leaders.
“I can see there are formidable young leaders within the Opposition who can offer themselves to be the future of the country. Yet, unfortunately, they do not have the opportunity to surface as alternative leaders,” Shafie said.