Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah president Lajim Ukin said he wished to remind all political leaders that the relationship between race and ethnicities in the state was a sensitive issue.
“Therefore, it should not be used by any parties when campaigning,” he added.
Lajim, who was a deputy chief minister during the time of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), said Parti Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal and other Warisan leaders had recently uttered racist remarks against other political leaders.
He told FMT he was worried as Warisan leaders appeared to be trying to encourage their supporters to further ignite racial sentiments through their speeches.
The Semporna MP himself has also been subject to similar remarks from his political rivals, who label him an illegal immigrant and a pirate, in reference to the party’s sailboat logo.
Even supporters of Gabungan Sabah, the local opposition alliance which includes Lajim’s party, had been caught mocking Shafie because of his race, he said.
“I truly believe that all Sabahans, regardless of their race, as long as they are genuine Sabahans, are eligible to become chief minister.
“I know some of these politicians because we used to work together in the same party and during elections. I am confident that racist statements or insulting one another’s ancestry is unsuitable in Sabah,” he said.
Lajim, who is also Klias assemblyman, added that his party along with Gabungan Sabah would continue to fight for the state’s rights and would never use racial issues to get the people’s support.