KOTA KINABALU, May 15 — New Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal dismissed allegations by Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan that there would be a “new wave of illegal immigrants” flooding the state.
Shafie also brushed off the claim by saying he has “more important things to do” than to respond to baseless allegations.
“There’s nothing to respond. I was not there in the government then. I didn’t have the authority to let illegals come in.
“His brother was in charge. Don’t blame me,” he said after a moon-sighting ceremony at Balai Cerap Al-Biruni in Putatan.
On a question about Kitingan stirring up racial sentiments, Shafie again refused to be baited.
“I have far more important things to do – running the state, helping the poor, developing the state — rather than responding to these silly statements. They’re unfounded,” he said.
Kitingan recently issued a statement claiming that a possible influx of immigrants was waiting to be absorbed into the system following Shafie’s appointment as chief minister.
Kitingan, who was briefly made deputy chief minister under former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman’s short-lived state Cabinet, claimed Sabah could see another flood of immigrants following “the euphoria of the immigrant community” over the appointment Shafie.
Shafie was sworn in as the state’s 15th chief minister, two days after Musa was sworn in following a claim of majority from the recently concluded elections (GE14).
In the 29-seat tie between Shafie’s Parti Warisan Sabah and Barisan Nasional (BN), Kitingan’s Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) was the deciding factor that ended up siding with BN, and giving Musa claim to the state government.
Musa immediately named his state ministers and proceeded to start the first Cabinet meeting but crossovers from six BN assemblymen later gave Shafie the edge, and following a meeting with the state governor, Musa was asked to step down. He has yet to officially do so although he has vacated the official chief minister’s residence.
