By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, June 28: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak supports the proposal by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to nominate Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal for the prime minister post of Malaysia.
Its chairman Chong Chieng Jen has outlined several reasons for making the stand.
He believed picking Shafie, which is a third party candidate will help to resolve the impasse between Dr Mahathir and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, remove the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) coalition and improving the Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia relationship as well as narrowing the imbalanced development between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia.
“With Datuk Seri Shafie as the prime minister, it is the best chance for West Malaysia to rebuild the harmonious racial and good inter-religious relationship of the past which is still the hallmark of Sabah and Sarawak.
“With Datuk Seri Shafie as the prime minister of Malaysia, it will definitely improve the East-West relationship and imbalanced development between East and West Malaysia.
“It will also facilitate the fight for more rights for the two East Malaysia states,” he said in a press statement today.
Chong opined that Shafie was a better choice to be the prime minister because the latter was critical in his stand over kleptocracy.
He observed that Shafie quit UMNO because he was against the looting of public funds by the kleptocrats.
Chong asserted that Shafie was then persecuted but stood firm.
Subsequently Chong noted that Shafie led Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) in the last general election and won against some Barisan Nasional leaders in Sabah who were deemed to have misuse public funds.—DayakDaily
