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KOTA KINABALU: Five Warisan assemblymen have denied a report that they were among a crowd of elected representatives willing to leave the party for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
The report came in the wake of the departure of Sebatik Assemblyman Hassan A Gani Pg Amir yesterday. He pledged to support GRS and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Apparently five others were also leaving. A local news portal named them Assaffal Alian (Tungku), Chong Chen Bin (Tanjong Kapor), Mohammad Mohamarin (Banggi), Norazlinah Arif (Kunak) and Azhar Matussin (Darau).
Azhar jokingly said that his name was always popularly associated with those who were said to jump.
“I’m not leaving Warisan,” he said, when contacted.
The other assembly members made their denials on Facebook, while mocking the report.
Mohammad said he could only “smile looking at an old script”, adding that “I am still loyal to (Warisan president) Shafie Apdal and Warisan.”
Chong described the action of using her photo as malicious and irresponsible. “Frogs and parties are not part of my political dictionary,” he said. “Those who used my photo in the report ran out of ideas and tried to confuse people.”
Assaffal simply laughed at the report, saying it was “funny”, while Norazlinah said the portal obtained the wrong information. “But thanks for using a nice photo of me.”
A sixth assemblyman whose name was also mentioned in the report has not yet responded to the portal’s complaints.
Speculation has been mounting since Hassan announced his decision on whether more Warisan representatives would join the GRS coalition.
Hassan is free to choose, says Masidi
Sabah PPBM Deputy Chief Masidi Manjun said Warisan defector Hassan A Gani Pg Amir was free to choose his political future.
Masidi, who is also a member of the GRS committee, said: “I do not want to judge the decision, it is completely his discretion, I wish him luck.”
When asked if they could join the ranks of GRS further, he said: “I really can’t speculate because politics is a game and a very unusual profession; you really don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Division chief says resignation had no impact
The head of Warisan’s Kalabakan division said the party’s strength would not be adversely affected by Hassan’s departure.
Kalabakan chief Sarifuddin Hata, who is also a Merotai state assemblyman, said Hassan’s departure did not have much of an impact on Warisan supporters, “except that all the party committee members are disappointed after we’ve worked to elevate him to an elected representative. “
Hassan won the state seat from Sebatik on a Warisan ticket in state elections last year. The seat is one of four in the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency. Kukusan and Merotai were also won by candidates from Warisan, while Tanjung Batu was won by Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy from Perikatan Nasional.
