Calling Shafie’s announcement an attempt to fish for votes, PBRS deputy president Arthur Kurup said both Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman and Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had made their stand on the issue much earlier.
“This is pure grand standing. Why is he only making such claims now? He never voiced his stand on this issue before,” he said in a statement.
He added that Shafie was “playing to the gallery” to gain political mileage as the issue of the Philippines’ claim on Sabah was a major source of contention.
“He has been questioned and challenged to make his stand. He must have felt compelled to do so, especially since the election is just around the corner,” he said.
Kurup was responding to a speech Shafie had made at an event over the weekend, in which the Semporna MP said he would ensure that the federal government makes the matter its main agenda.
The issue entered the limelight when former Philippines Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr said he would propose the inclusion of Sabah in Philippine territory as part of the country’s shift to a federal system of government.
Under Pimentel’s proposal for a new federal government, Sabah would be the country’s 13th state after Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Minparom, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro.