Malakun…Let’s set the record straight because Sabahans deserve the truth, not carefully packaged political mythology.
KOTA KINABALU : – Daniel John Jambun’s recent commentary in defence of Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal reads more like a desperate whitewashing attempt than a serious examination of Sabah’s constitutional history or Warisan’s troubled legacy.
Let’s set the record straight because Sabahans deserve the truth, not carefully packaged political mythology.
Jambun boldly claims that Shafie was appointed Chief Minister after it was “proven” he had majority support.
That’s false.
If we are to use his logic, then Tan Sri Musa Aman (now Tun) had already secured a simple majority of 31 seats immediately after the 2018 state election – with the support of two STAR Assemblymen.
That’s the magic number, that’s the threshold.
So why wasn’t Musa sworn in as Chief Minister the very next morning?
Daniel claimed that Musa was hastily sworn in . Contrary to this claim, there was no haste.
In fact, the situation was far from it because he was literally blocked – twice – from entering the Palace.
Police roadblocks, delays, and whispered doubts manufactured an artificial crisis.
And, it was only late at night, after much persuasion, that Musa was finally sworn in.
Jambun’s version of events omits this entire episode – conveniently.
It must be pointed out that Musa did not “retreat” from his final court appeal but instead he chose not to throw Sabah into chaos.
Jambun also implied that Musa dropped his court case because he “couldn’t prove” he had majority support.
Again, false. At the time, Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor’s government was already in place.
Musa’s withdrawal was a statesmanlike decision, not a sign of weakness..
He knew that if he pursued the case and won, the entire administrative structure would have been thrown into disarray.
So, he chose stability over self-interest, a virtue sorely missing in Warisan’s scorched-earth politics.
If Musa were the “power-hungry villain” that Warisan’s narrative needs, he would have fought to the bitter end.
He didn’t and that silence speaks volumes about honour, something Jambun seems to misinterpret as defeat.
Jambun also claims that Warisan’s decision to cancel the concessions or contracts of key water infrastructure projects like Telibong 2 water treatment plant was about “procurement transparency.”
Really? One doesn’t simply cancel a binding contract because of procurement and transparency issues.
One has to prove a breach of contract to justify such a drastic action which subsequently cost the government millions in compensation to affected concessionaires.
All these happened during the watch of then JKR Minister Datuk Peter Anthony – the architect of these decisions – who is now serving time for corruption.
It must also be highlighted that Warisan never won a state election. Lets not pretend otherwise
Jambun keeps invoking the “people’s mandate.” But Warisan has never won a single state election outright.
• In 2018, they came to power through defections — not the ballot box.
• In 2020, they were defeated at the polls.
This isn’t opinion. It’s math. Stop twisting the facts to suit your narrative.
Political legitimacy comes from elections, not backroom deals and post-election musical chairs..
Furthermore “Sempornisation” was not a myth – it was proclaimed by Warisan leaders themselves.
Jambun calls allegations of “Sempornisation” a racist dog whistle but yet he conveniently ignores a a videotaped public speech by Shafie whereby he was caught saying their (Warisan’s) objective to be in politics is to grab power and when they are in power, they will look after their own people.
Which “people” exactly? Ajis Jamman was also caught on video playing up “our people” sentiments.
Those words weren’t imagined — they were caught on video. Sempornisation was not a lie fabricated by the then opposition. It was a racialised admission of intent and the staffing of the civil service as well as the appointments of GLCs and the top cop posts in Sabah during Warisan’s tenure reflected this bias. If you preach inclusivity, then act like it. Don’t gaslight Sabahans who witnessed the centralisation of power firsthand.
Jambun tries to frame concerns over Warisan’s link to IC Project 2.0 as recycled slander. But how does he explain:
The suspicious frequency of fires razing squatter colonies, followed by reports of mobile NRD units appearing like clockwork;
The crowds at Wisma Dang Bandang which offices the Immigration Department then
The arrogance with which Ajis Jamman, as Deputy Home Minister then, brushed off public concern and criticism.
Sabah has long battled undocumented immigration. But under Warisan, the floodgates didn’t just open – they were blown off their hinges. People felt it, saw it, lived it.
So spare us the condescending lectures. When people’s livelihoods are threatened by policy failures, they don’t forget.
Jambun also accuses others of “rewriting history.” Warisan doesn’t need enemies . It’s haunted by its own record. Warisan’s biggest enemy isn’t GRS, PH or Clarence Bongkos Malakun.
It’s memory. People remember the deteriorating economy, racial politics and the arrogance of power.
No amount of eloquent essay-writing can erase that. Jambun may dress up Warisan’s failures in long sentences and flowery rhetoric.
Sabah deserves better than Warisan’s revisionism. And Jambun’s rebuttal isn’t a defence of democracy — it’s a carefully scripted act of deflection.
He wants us to forget the cronyism, the racialism and administrative decay of 24 months under Warisan.
(Commentary by Datuk Seri Panglima Clarence Bongkos Malakun – Sabah Economic Advisory Council member and former Moyog Assemblyman
