KOTA KINABALU, Aug 16 — Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has denied his involvement in the attempt to oust Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as Sabah chief minister in 2023, dubbed “Kinabalu Move”.
The former chief minister saidthe move had stemmed from a dispute between Hajiji and his then deputy, Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
“The Kinabalu Move was not my political move. You should ask them why they were in conflict,” he reportedly told Free Malaysia Today, referring to Hajiji and Bung Moktar.
“We were in the opposition benches all the while,” he added, referring to his party.
Kunak assemblyman Datuk Norazlinah Arif had implicated Warisan last month, claiming that four or five Warisan leaders would be named to the state Cabinet if they had backed Bung Moktar in the move.
She has since left Warisan to join Hajiji’s Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah.
In January 2023, rumours arose of Bung Moktar leading the state Umno to work with Parti Warisan to oust Hajiji from his state chief minister post.
Both Bung and Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal claimed Hajiji no longer commanded the majority of the 79-seat Sabah legislature.
But Anwar brokered a temporary truce when he flew to Kota Kinabalu from an official visit to Indonesia and asked Hajiji to set aside political differences to form a unity state government.
Sabah is expected to hold its state election soon, with Pakatan Harapan agreeing to ally itself with Hajiji’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
