Shafie slams GRS’s proposed CM term limit, says real issue is political interference

WARISAN president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has expressed reservations over the proposed two-term limit for Sabah’s Chief Minister, calling the idea premature and politically motivated.

Warisan president Shafie Apdal made the remarks when speaking to reporters in Keningau on Saturday, describing the proposal as ironic given that he was never allowed to serve a full term as Chief Minister.

“Don’t talk about two terms when we’re not even being given a proper first term.”

“The real issue isn’t how long someone serves, it’s whether they’re allowed to serve at all, without interference and manipulation,” Shafie said, referencing the collapse of his administration in 2020.

The two-term limit idea was recently floated by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

While no official bill has been tabled, the proposal has stirred debate, especially among the political circles in Sabah who appeared to be wary of selective reforms.

Shafie’s administration collapsed in 2020 after a wave of defections by assemblymen from his camp, many of whom would later align themselves with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition that came to power following a snap state election.

Shafie warned that using governance reform as a political tool could backfire.

“We’re not afraid of limits. Let the people choose. If they don’t like what they see after five years, they can vote us out,” he said.

He also used the occasion to criticise the GRS-led state government’s handling of Sabah’s natural resources, especially the recent award of oil and gas contracts to West Malaysian firms.

“You can’t even manage water — how can you be trusted to manage oil and gas?” he said.

Warisan, which governed Sabah briefly from 2018 to 2020, says it will release its manifesto once the state assembly is dissolved.

According to Shafie, the party’s priorities include job creation, education access, and stronger state autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

“We’re not forming a coalition with other parties,” he said. “We’re forming a coalition with the people.”

Shafie added that the manifesto draws from Warisan’s prior governance track record, citing initiatives like the state sales tax on petroleum and land lease extensions.

The upcoming Sabah election has not been officially announced, but political activity in the state has intensified.

BN and Pakatan Harapan are expected to contest under a joint ticket, while the GRS led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has yet to make a decision to work with any alliances.

Warisan’s decision to go solo possibly sets up a three-cornered fight in many constituencies. - July 20, 2025