Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal
PAPAR: Caretaker Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has questioned claims made by a political party that he is an illegal immigrant.
He alleged that this claim was made by Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) whose president is Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.
“I was born in Semporna. My grandmother was buried in Semporna. The father of my grandmother was buried in Semporna. The mother of my grandmother was buried there too,” Shafie, who is Warisan Sabah’s president, said.
“And yet they say I am a PTI (illegal immigrant)?”
He added that the Warisan Sabah party has also been labelled the same.
Shafie reminded that when he was still part of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN), he was considered a hero by BN.
“But when you fight against BN, you will face hardship. You fight against BN, you become a PTI. Since when I became a refugee?”
He pointed out that the Bajaus are natives of Sabah.
He added that the labelling tactic was being used to break the people’s unity in Sabah.
“Don’t use race and religion. We don’t use race and religion to build the nation because this is Malaysia. I am the Chief Minister of Sabah. Not the Chief Minister of the Bajau, of the Kedayan, of the Brunei, of the Dusun, but the Chief Minister for the people of Sabah irrespective of religion and race,” he said.
He said this was the reason why when churches asked for assistance, he gave it to them, and that when Chinese schools asked for the same, they were also assisted.
“I have Chinese grandchildren because my son married a Chinese Melanau from Sarawak.
“It’s not based on religion or race. If we based on religion, look at the Arabs, they kill each other because of their different religious denominations.
“You use religion, very divisive. You use race, we will be divided. We are Malaysians. We are the natives of Sabah,” he said.
He urged everyone to be united, adding that the people of Sabah had rights in Sabah.