Shafie (left) greeting Reddy during the courtesy call on Tuesday.
KOTA KINABALU: A single party still has a chance to win in the upcoming Sabah state election (PRN), said Parti Warisan (Warisan) President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Shafie said the possibility of a single party winning in the state election could happen if one takes into account the political history of Sabah which was once ruled by a single party for 20 years.
“I remember if we look at the history of Sabah, the people of Sabah have ever chosen a single party … Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (Berjaya) for 10 years, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) for 10 years. So we see that situation has already happened.
“So it is up to the people of Sabah what they want, whether it’s many parties or one party … who decides who will come to power is the Sabah voters,” he said after receiving a courtesy call from the Indian Ambassador to Malaysia, Bollavaram Nagabhushana Reddy, at his residence here Tuesday.
He said this when commenting on the possibility of a single party returning to rule Sabah in the upcoming PRN.
The Semporna Member of Parliament said there is experience from the past that even without a coalition, a single party can rule Sabah.
“So, if the people of Sabah want clear development, stability and progress, then there needs to be unity, among Sabahans, to choose a party that has clear plans and policies to help the people of Sabah,” he said.
Shafie however added that the situation may be different from previous years, but believed that anything can happen in the current situation as the decision rests in the hands of the people.
“We cannot work together because like before I worked with Pakatan Harapan (PH), PKR asked for 14 seats, DAP asked for 14 seats and UPKO asked for close to 20 seats but we gave PKR seven seats, DAP six seats, Amanah one. After that, DAP won six using the Warisan logo, PKR lost and only got two (seats) and UPKO out of 18 seats, only won one,” he said.
Shafie added that even if seen at the Federal level, it is not easy to manage 19 parties in the unity government because not all want to be followers.
“Therefore, there needs to be clarity so that Sabah can determine the direction through a sustainable development plan for the good of the people,” he said. – BP
