KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan has questioned DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke's accusation that Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was "unprincipled" as he was ready to work with the winning party after the 15th General Election (GE15).

Warisan's Chinese coordinator for Api-Api Michelle Mok said DAP's principles were more questionable as the party was ready to sign a bipartisan political deal with the current government.

"Is DAP's support for the current backdoor government more principled?" Mok asked in a statement Thursday (June 30).

She was responding to Loke's criticism of Shafie who recently said that the party would not be teaming up with any of the existing government or opposition coalitions during the elections but was ready to work with winning parties after GE15. 

Mok said that it was DAP that signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support a government that actually lost the last election.

She added that the current government had only 115 parliamentary seats for a slim majority, but after Pakatan Harapan signed the MoU, the government had time to rebuild itself.

"Is this DAP's version of being principled?" she asked.

"In Peninsular Malaysia, DAP is rejected by the Malays because it portrays itself as the big brother. Its partners, PKR and Amanah, are also not well accepted by the Malays because they are seen as under the influence of DAP," she claimed.

"This is a political reality that DAP and Pakatan must accept and work on, before coming to Sabah and Sarawak (and telling) Sabahans and Sarawakians what to do.

"That colonial mentality must stop," Mok said.

She added that Warisan was not keen to be linked to any party or coalition before GE15 because the party wants to put Sabahans' interests above coalition interests.

"By declaring that Warisan, as the biggest single party in Sabah, is ready to cooperate with the winning coalition, Shafie was actually saying that whoever offers the best deal for Sabah will be considered by Warisan," she said, adding that the deal should include resolutions for the state's oil and gas rights, its rights to export licenses, and the terms of Malaysia Agreement 1963.

"Whoever gives the best deal to Sabah will then have Warisan's support to form the Federal Government," she said, adding that it was very likely that there would be no clear winner after GE15.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/06/30/dap039s-principles-are-more-questionable-says-warisan