He said Sabah politics was too fractious, with politicians trying to outdo each other instead of being united.
“For as long as I can remember, we have always been fighting with each other. We are very fractious. We do everything except to be united.
“Compare us to Sarawak. The reason they got five ministers is because they are united. Why don’t we Sabahans learn something from them? I’m sure there are more reasons for us to be united than to be fractious.
“The problem is we are more concerned about trying to outdo each other, trying to pull each other down rather than uniting and doing something good for Sabah. You reap what you sow,” the Sabah Bersatu vice-chief said.
Commenting on the appointment of Sabah Bersatu MP Armizan Ali as the minister of Sabah and Sarawak affairs, Masidi said it was the prerogative of the prime minister to choose members of his Cabinet.
“I look at it as his desire for inclusivity in his government. In a unity government, everybody puts aside their political differences for a while, for the sake of the country, particularly now that we are facing challenging economic times.
“This is not an ordinary government because this is no ordinary time. So, the issues of why some become ministers and some don’t, shouldn’t arise,” he said.
He dismissed suggestions that Sabah Bersatu should not have any place in the Cabinet because it was still technically part of Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Masidi said PN leaders themselves decided to stay out of the unity government, preferring to be in the opposition instead.
Meanwhile, Masidi said assemblymen from Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) met the chief minister last week to voice their support for the GRS-BN government but there was no talk of forming a unity government (like that at the federal level) in Sabah yet.
“We decided to put aside politics and work together for Sabah. To me, there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics.
“We joined politics for the betterment of Sabah and, thus, I think partisan politics should not be the main consideration. We have to accept the political reality today,” he said.