Ex Inanam Rep Cites Misgivings Over Dr M Poor Economy For Defection

---

The former Inanam assemblyperson Kenny Chua has cited Warisan’s backing for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as among the reasons for his defection from PKR to support former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman’s attempted coup
He claimed to have done so out of loyalty to PKR and its president Anwar Ibrahim, and hence could not be a part of the Warisan-led state administration
This is because Warisan has openly supported Mahathir’s bid to become prime minister again and has even expressed willingness to amend Warisan’s party constitution to allow Mahathir and his followers to join the party
“I've repeatedly said that as a PKR leader in Sabah, it was only right for me to stay loyal to my party president and threw my undivided support for him as the country's next prime minister as what all Malaysians and Sabahans had been promised during the last general election
“Due to Warisan's support for Mahathir, I, as part of the state government then and as Sabah PKR vice-chairperson then, had constantly been asked by the common people in the streets and PKR supporters in Sabah alike to explain
“I could understand the negative sentiments the majority of Sabahans harbour toward Mahathir until today for what he had done to the state and its people for so long,” he said, without elaborating on the supposed grievances against Mahathir
Chua, who was the Sabah assistant finance minister at the time, also denied being offered a bribe to switch sides and said he would welcome an investigation by the relevant authorities
“But perhaps in all fairness, (those making allegations of bribery) should also call for an investigation on those elected representatives who switched sides to help Warisan form the state government in 2018,” he added in his statement today
Chua was among the 33 assemblypersons backing Musa’s bid to become chief minister, which was ultimately foiled when the state assembly was dissolved on July 30 to pave way for a state election
For the record, Anwar has voiced support for Shafie’s state administration, and the party has moved to sack Chua following his defection
This is despite disagreement between Pakatan Harapan component parties and its allies over who should become prime minister if the coalition manages to retake federal power through defections
Meanwhile, Chua said there were issues in the state administration that he “didn’t think were right”, such as illegal immigration and statelessness
He said Sabah also lacks the necessary funds to fuel its development, especially amid the weak economy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic
"So, the state needs funds from the federal government or else it would continue to bleed. Come snap state election, the main issue will be about our economic survival; how we feed our families and how we can create opportunities to sustain our life
“I'd ask Sabahans to ask Warisan and its partners these important questions. If they said the state has the funds, then ask them to show the money first before you even consider giving them another chance at governing Sabah,” he said
He also accused Warisan of mistreating its coalition allies in PKR, Upko, and DAP, despite being relatively new to the political scene after its founding in 2016
“Before even there was Warisan, we in PKR and DAP had been fighting against the government of the day at the time. After Warisan was formed, they came to us asking to be given the majority of the seats to contest in the last general election. And we sacrificed many of our traditional seats to them
“But just ask any of the coalition partners, especially their grassroots members, if they thought Warisan had been fair to them
“Don't ask the party leaders. They would always say nice things. Ask their party members on the ground, those who have been in service as community leaders,” he said. - Mkini

---