Shafie's leadership proposition a long shot, say analysts

In recent days former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal has been talking up the possibility of a larger role for East Malaysia as he used Warisan’s annual general assembly to push the divided federal opposition to institute a leadership change and even appeared to offer himself as an alternative to current opposition head Anwar Ibrahim.

The party’s youth chief, Mohd Azis Jamman, subsequently revealed that Warisan is considering spreading its wings to Peninsular Malaysia and become a full-fledged national party.

Yesterday, in an interview with radio station BFM89.9, Shafie went on the offensive again, floating the idea of an East Malaysian opposition leader while stopping short of offering himself the role.

“If Malaysians think that a person coming from Peninsular Malaysia has been presenting themselves (as leader for all Malaysia) for the last 60 years, why not a Sabahan or Sarawakian for that matter?

“Because we are building a nation here. Don’t tell me East Malaysians can’t provide or render their services to the country?” he asked.

However, despite Shafie’s bold words, most analysts familiar with Sabah’s volatile political scene feel that the Semporna MP may be mistaking the role of kingmaker for one of sufficient broad-based strength that is required to lead the country.

“Shafie should focus on being a strong and effective opposition leader at Sabah state level before reaching for the federal opposition,” said Firdausi