I don’t need any party: Shafie
(Daily Express) – Former Umno Vice-President Shafie Apdal (pic) has no plans to join any other political party at the moment.
Speaking to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the Semporna MP acknowledged that although some individuals had said his leaving Umno would not make a difference one way or the other, he knew who his supporters were and that there was no need to insult him.
“We will wait and see. I know I have supporters, so don’t insult me. I came from Sabah to help our country prosper.
“I was a minister for eight years. I know what the people want. I sent 40 Orang Asli to obtain a degree.
I know how they (Sabahans) feel and what they want,” he said.
Shafie said this when met by reporters after returning from an Aidilfitri open house in Kampung Babul, Semporna.
Present at the open house in Semporna were Sri Tanjung Assemblymab Chan fong Hin, Sandakan MP Steven Wong, Likas Assemblyman Junz Wong and Sulabayan Assemblyman Datuk Jaujan Sambakong.
Asked whether he would join any other party following his suspension and subsequent resignation from Umno, Shafie quipped, “I do not need any party.”
Sabah PKR head Datuk Lajim Ukin had earlier welcomed Shafie to join the opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance.
Shafie pledged not to return to Umno, but said he would continue to fight for his cause.
He quit Umno on July 4, after he was suspended last month for criticising the party leadership and purportedly working with the Opposition – an allegation he has denied.
Meanwhile Sabah Umno Secretary Yahya Hussin said the Semporna division would now be helmed by its Deputy President Datuk Nasir Sakaran until the next internal election was held. “He (Nasir) will be the acting Semporna division chief till we have an election, but it is not an issue at the moment. We are stable as always, no problem.”
In Kuala Lumpur, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin claims Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman responsible for ex-Umno Ministers Datuk Shafie Afdal winning one of the three Vice President posts in the party. “It was due to Musa that the not-so-popular Shafie could get the support of the 25 Sabah Umno division leaders for the coveted position in the party,” he said.
He claimed that his changed when Musa withdrew his support, and Shafie, realising that his future in Umno was endangered, knew that it would be impossible for him to retain his Supreme Council member seat and vice-president’s post in the next party election in two years.
“It is better that he pretends he is a person of integrity and principles by announcing he is resigning for the sake of the trust and justice, rather than he gets pushed into retirement because he lost his vice-president’s post or gets sacked from the party.”
Such a move, Raja Petra said, was common among politicians who knew of the impending political death that awaited them, such as in the case of the Semporna Member of Parliament.
“This is what politicians like Shafie do. When they know that they are going to ‘die’, they announce that they are too principled to stay in such and unprincipled party and try to exit looking like a hero and then seek greener pastures elsewhere.”
Shafie had announced his resignation from the party on Monday. Prior to that, the Umno Supreme Council suspended his membership, pending a disciplinary probe.
“Shafie know his days are numbered. Even if Umno does not sack him from the party, he will no longer be able to hold any position of importance in the party. He is finished,” he wrote on his blog.
