Baru Bian – File photo
KUCHING: Selangau MP Baru Bian is backing a proposal for Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to be the prime minister candidate of the opposition.
The Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) lawmaker said supporting Shafie Apdal as the next prime minister would be a big step in fulfilling the vision of Malaysia’s forefathers when they agreed to the formation of Malaysia.
“As equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak leaders should have the same rights as those in Peninsular Malaysia to be made prime minister of Malaysia,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Baru was responding to a statement by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday that he fully supported a proposal by Amanah, Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and DAP to nominate Shafie as the prime minister candidate of the opposition.
Baru, who is Ba Kelalan assemblyman, described Shafie Apdal as a seasoned politician and leader of a strong party in Sabah.
He said the Sabahan leader is eminently qualified for the post, and the PH leaders should give their support for the proposal as a way to end the impasse over the prime minister candidate.
“At the same time, it recognises that there are other qualified leaders who deserve the same opportunity to hold the position. The only requirement in the Federal Constitution is that the person eligible to be appointed as prime minster by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong should be someone who ‘is likely to command the confidence of the majority’, (under) Article 43(2)(a). There is therefore no impediment to the appointment of Shafie Apdal,” he pointed out.
According to Baru, having a prime minister from Sabah would be a cause for much joy in both Sabah and Sarawak.
He opined that it would finally be a sign of real inclusivity that the East Malaysians had perhaps never felt and might go a long way in soothing the rising resentment of Sabahahans and Sarawakians at the perceived unequal treatment of Sabah and Sarawak and the lack of attention to the needs of both states by the federal government.
The long-standing disputes arising from the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) would also be more likely to be resolved with Shafie Apdal heading the government of Malaysia, he asserted.
He said it would be in the interests of all parties to have these issues of state rights settled swiftly.
“I am sure that Malaysians who truly believe in national unity will accept with open hearts a Sabahan as prime minister in the same way they have accepted Malaysians from other states of Peninsular Malaysia as prime minister over the last 63 years.”
Baru hoped that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders would lend their support for Shafie to be prime minister as this presented an opportunity to show the rest of the world that Sabah and Sarawak are equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia and not mere second cousins.
If given a chance, he said Sabah and Sarawak leaders, would will bring a refreshing change to the government of this nation.
“The leaders of GPS will surely agree that we have every right to contribute in this manner to the way forward in a significant fulfilment of the MA63,” he added.