RANAU, Sept 18 ― Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chief Datuk Bung Moktar Radin took a swipe at political foe Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal on the state election campaign trail today, drawing similarities between the Warisan president’s unity slogan and the Philippines government’s catchphrase.

Bung Moktar has been persistently marking Shafie as "pro-Philippines” in the election campaign at a time when the Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr is seeking to revive his country’s claim on Sabah as its territory.

"He is pro-Philippines. He uses this phrase ‘In God we trust’. Why is he copying the Philippines? Over there they use it slogan everywhere,” the Kinabatangan MP told reporters here.

Bung Moktar continued, claiming caretaker chief minister Shafie had attempted to naturalise over half a million immigrants in Sabah.

"Before that he wanted to give the Sabah Temporary Pass to some 600,000 immigrants. That’s insane. Luckily we protested and protested and he retracted it in the end,” he added.

The award of Malaysian citizenship to undocumented migrants in Sabah has been a hot button in the north Borneo state since the 1980s under an alleged government programme to gain votes.

Shafie who was appointed chief minister two years ago has repeatedly come under public scrutiny and linked to a naturalised citizenship deal in the run-up to the September 26 vote.

His election campaign is premised on national unity regardless of race and religion. Posters touting unity have appeared on billboards: "in God we trust, unite we must,”.

The Sabah Opposition have been painting Shafie who is of Bajau Laut descent of being too friendly to undocumented migrants.

The association has raised ire among some Sabahans, especially the Kadazan Murut and Dusun communities, who see the migrants as a social economic problem.