“It’s irrational and nonsensical. No party can govern the state alone or win the general election without the help of other parties,” Lajim told the daily, in reference to a statement on Sunday by Warisan president Shafie Apdal that his party “can stand alone to run the state”.
He chided the former Umno minister for thinking that Warisan was already strong enough to wrest the state from the Barisan Nasional (BN) on their own.
Lajim then pointed out that even BN in Sabah needs so many component parties to win elections, naming Umno, PBS, Upko, PBRS and LDP cooperating to win the elections and run the state.
He called for cooperation among parties in Sabah which have the same objectives as Harapan, that is toppling Umno/BN and ensuring Sabah are accorded its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Lajim reckons that Shafie may have strong support in the east coast of Sabah, but the same cannot be said in the west coast, in the upper interior and lower interior and the north.
“Outside the east coast, Warisan needs to work with other parties,” he was quoted as saying by Daily Express.
Calling for a straight fight between the opposition and BN, Lajim said, any three or four-cornered fight would only see the people of Sabah being divided too.
“It’s imperative that not only the people of Sabah but also opposition parties be united in facing Umno/BN,” he said.
“Harapan will work with opposition parties in Sabah to take on Umno/BN.”
Yesterday, Shafie had said in his statement that the people were Warisan’s biggest partners but he has not completely ruled out working with other opposition parties.
“My prediction is that BN will be using a lot of money to get not only the people but also lawmakers to jump. So, what’s the point of sharing seats?” he said.
He believes that opposition unity alone would not bring victory in the polls, and that opposition parties have been focussing on the wrong approach.
“It’s the people’s support that’s needed to win the election. It’s the people who must be united.
“Given the people’s support, we believe we can run the state alone,” he added. - FMT
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