SANDAKAN: As a Sabahan, Dato’ Chin Kim Hiung says he welcomes Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s nomination of a Sabahan as Prime Minister of Malaysia but expressed doubt on the sincerity of his proposal.
Chin, the Sabah MCA Treasurer, said Mahathir’s announcement raised question marks on whether it would be honoured or just a political game to get the support of Members of Parliament from Sabah and Sarawak in the move to block Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir’s sincerity in nominating a Sabahan as the Prime Minister of Malaysia is questionable as he did not fulfill the promises made by Pakatan Harapan to Sabah and Sarawak when he was the Prime Minister before his resignation in March this year, Chin said when commenting on Mahathir’s June 23 statement on the matter.
“His latest move appears to have an ulterior motive because when he was the 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia not only promises made not fulfilled to Sabah but he was a stumbling block to the efforts,” Chin who is also MCA Libaran division chairman, said.
Pakatan Harapan gave the people of Sabah a false hope with promises of increase in the oil royalty to 20% and the MA63 before the 14th General Elections. After they were given the mandate by the people, they did not honour them, Chin said.
“With unfulfilled promises to the people of Sabah, now he comes up with another one promising to appoint a Sabahan as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Without a party, Mahathir’s decision does not have weight because his announcement without consultation with his Pakatan Harapan Plus allies is done unilaterally, he pointed out.
Chin also asked why DAP leaders remained quiet after the party was left out in the proposal for Deputy Prime Ministerial candidacy considering they are the largest partner in PH Plus with 42 Members of Parliament.
“They should request for the creation of additional deputy prime minister posts for one of their leaders so can they can champion the interests of the Malaysian Chinese community which the party claimed it has been doing all along,” Chin quipped.
Last week, Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing described the proposal by Mahathir for Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as the prime ministerial candidate as the “joke of the century”.
The senior Sarawak leader believed that the endorsement for Shafie is orchestrated by Mahathir to deny PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from becoming the prime minister if PH Plus comes into power in the next general election or in the event of snap polls.-pr/BNN
