KOTA KINABALU, Aug 26 — Parti Warisan Sabah is remaining coy as to whether former chief justice (CJ) Tan Sri Richard Malanjum will be contesting the Sabah elections under its ticket.
Its president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal refused give the media a definite answer but said it was not out of the question.
“Let’s wait for the time to come. There haven’t been any announcements yet and forms aren’t filled up,” he said, when asked to verify rumours of Malanjum’s foray into politics.
He also said that Malanjum has yet to officially apply to join the party.
He said this during a press conference to officiate a new multipurpose hall in Bongawan, Kimanis. A recording was made available to Malay Mail.
Rumours of Malanjum contesting in the upcoming state polls first surfaced last week after a purportedly Warisan candidates list started making rounds on social media.
Malanjum was slated to contest on a Warisan ticket in the Bingkor state seat, a Kadazandusun majority seat located in the Keningau parliamentary constituency, currently held by Parti Solidarity Tanah Airku incumbent Robert Tawik.
There are also rumours of him contesting the Moyog state seat held by Warisan’s Jen Lasimbang.
Malanjum held the highest rank in the nation’s judicial system in 2018 until his retirement last year and is the first Sabahan to hold the position.
He first joined the judicial service in 1992 as judicial commissioner and eventually served as a High Court judge.
In August 2002, Malanjum was appointed as a judge at the Court of Appeal and was promoted to the Federal Court three years later.
His appointment at the age of 52 made him the youngest judge then to sit at the country’s highest court.
Malanjum is also the first Sabah native to be appointed a judge in the High Court, Court of Appeal and subsequently the Federal Court.
He was later appointed as the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak on July 26, 2006.
Since his retirement he has been more active with his foundation, Osimal Foundation, which also sourced out rapid test kits for Covid-19 when the state was facing a shortage.
Malanjum himself has also not confirmed rumours of contesting in the polls.
