Vivian has threatened legal action following Shafie’s reported comments in a Facebook Live video, in which he said her father and former state cabinet member Stephen Wong had considered leaving DAP to “follow me”.

“As the matter involves interactions between Stephen and Shafie, there is a chance it might not be resolvable because it happened behind a curtain and without proof,” Chong said.

Chong, a former DAP member who crossed over to Warisan, criticised Vivian’s behaviour, stating that it showed a lack of sympathy for her constituents by drawing attention to unimportant issues.

He said that as an MP she appeared to lack commitment towards highlighting the issues faced by her constituents.

“She should focus on more important matters, which is to obtain funds for Sandakan’s development.”

Chong added that Shafie’s comments were not entirely directed towards Stephen. He said they highlighted the fact that Sabah MPs faced difficulty in fighting for their rights, because their leaders were in the peninsula.

“Will this peninsula party be able to object to leadership instructions from the peninsula?”

Chong also rejected Vivian’s claims that he had hopped parties by joining Warisan following his resignation from DAP. Chong joined Warisan in March 2022, shortly after leaving DAP.

“If I really wanted to switch parties for my own benefit, I would have certainly been in a government position.

“My stance is clearly to fight for the rights of Sabahans without the involvement of peninsula leaders.”