Warisan president Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal (third, left) presenting aid at the Beaufort and Sipitang fast breaking ceremony. – Borneo Post pic
BEAUFORT, April 22 – The formation of a bloc among political parties needs to have a strong foundation and not just cooperation, said Warisan president Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said there is no point if the cooperation is just in name.
“Cooperation has to have a basis, cannot just for play. If I wanted cooperation I could have been working together in Kuala Lumpur before.
“Cooperation with Muhyiddin, Anwar but we are still at the opposition level. The important thing is to have a foundation what is the foundation? How to cooperate?” he said at the fast breaking ceremony for Beaufort and Sipitang areas here on Thursday.
Shafie took the example of the cooperation of the Sarawak Coalition Party (GPS) which was among the local parties and did not involve any Peninsular party.
“Muhyiddin asked for cooperation with me, I didn’t give it, so how do we work together,” he said.
Recently, the information chief of the Bersatu Sabah, Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan, had suggested that the three main leaders of Sabah, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, Bersatu Sabah chief Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor and Sabah Umno liaison chairman Datuk Seri Moktar Radin sit down and discuss working together in the interests of the people.
“All three of them come from the same party (Umno) and know each other,” said Khairul Firdaus.
When asked about the potential for Sabah voters to come out to vote in the next general election, Shafie believes voters will come out in droves to carry out the responsibility to determine the country’s key leadership.
“We cannot equate the State election with the general election. They don’t usually want to change very much, but in the next general election, I’m sure the people will make a decision.
“They will go down to vote because that can address the problems of the prices of oil and goods.
“When I spoke in Johor, we raised the issue of Johoreans not being able to meet their husbands and wives for three years because they were stranded in Singapore,” he said.
According to Shafie, the power to overcome the matter is not with the Johor government but the central government and Singapore. – Borneo Post