22 September 2020

Slandering security forces & medical workers, Mohamaddin should immediately withdraw from contesting

Parti Warisan Sabah President Dato’ Seri Shafie Apdal must instruct his party’s candidate for Segama Dato’ Mohamaddin Ketapi to immediately renounce his candidacy from the current Sabah state elections so that he is dealt with given his remarks against the security forces at Tanduo and about Covid-19 medical personnel. Otherwise, Mohamaddin’s slur against the military, police and health workers will be deemed as representing the position of Warisan.

Athough Mohamaddin issued an apology, he maintained that his remarks were “misinterpreted” and “twisted”, thereby rendering his “sorry” as insincere and meaningless. Whatever remarks uttered were clear and distinct. Anyone listening to his speech can comprehend what he said.

Mohamaddin, a Warisan Supreme Council member and the former Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture is a political veteran armed with vast experiences. But in view of his ignorant and fatuous comments, Shafie should expel him from the party besides instructing him to withdraw from the ongoing Sabah state elections.

Mohamaddin had claimed that the Lahad Datu invasion in 2013 was mere “sandiwara”, and even accused the Armed Forces and police as battling with “dogs and chickens”. Not  only do such slurs affront the massive sacrifices that our security personnel gave in defence of our sovereignty, these sputters cause the grieving families further anguish.

Mohamaddin also alleged that as “they (government)” has declared the east coast of Sabah as a red zone due to Covid-19 clusters, Warisan’s opponents will resort to getting people to fake contracting Covid-19 as a ploy to scare the Chinese away from voting. Such an allegation insults workers from the Ministry of Health and all frontliners who risk their lives to combat this invisible war and safeguard people’s lives, especially those of patients. Such disparagement will only demotivate our medical personnel who are already over-stretched in attending to Covid-19 patients.

Elections campaigns should focus on debating various political issues. However, certain issues cannot be politicised and hyped just to become election fodder. Even worse, to joke and degrade our policemen and military men who took the bullets and machetes for us, as well as our health workers whose own lives are placed at risk, it is unfathomable that Mohamaddin was not able to comprehend the gravity of the sacrifices of our security and medical heroes, who in prioritising our lives, health, safety, security and wellbeing and our nation’s sovereignty, place their own lives in harms’ way.

Mohamaddin’s remarks have sneered the wisdom of Sabahans and all Malaysians. He is unfit to contest as a candidate.

Dr Pamela Yong
Wanita MCA Sabah Chairperson

-MCA Online-