KOTA KINABALU, Aug 6 — The State Governor’s Office has denied allegations from a political group that he consented to dissolving the state assembly and refused to meet former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman.
The Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin’s private secretary Abinan Asli said in a statement that the Istana Negeri never received a request — official or unofficial — from Musa to meet.
“Tan Sri Musa Aman and his entourage tried to enter the Istana Negeri on July 30 at about 3.50pm without making an official appointment and were stopped at the police roadblock.
“We never instructed the police to stop Musa from entering the palace — the roadblock was actually set up to avoid untoward incidents. Taking into consideration the tense situation and the unnecessity of Musa’s entourage to meet with the TYT after the dissolution earlier that morning, the TYT did not allow the entourage to enter the palace,” he said.
Abinan said that Juhar had instructed him to issue a clarification after a report was made by an individual linked to a political group with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) alleging that Juhar was abusing his power, as carried on the front page of local newspaper Daily Express.
“The TYT is unhappy over the untrue report that has gone viral on social media and WhatsApp.
“The Istana Negeri is outright denying the claims made by Zulkarnain Mahdar. They are baseless and untrue and contain ill intention,” he said.
“He reminded the people to stay calm and not to believe fake news that is being circulated on the internet and also not to issue statements that could cause public disorder. The TYT is urging the people to continue to stay united and maintain the peace and harmony in Sabah,” he said.
Zulkarnain, the pro-tem chairman of Gerakan Kuasa Rakyat Malaysia (G57), had in the report claimed that Juhar should have shown neutrality and not consented to the request by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal to dissolve the state assembly.
He said Juhar should have met all the assemblymen before dissolving the state assembly as Shafie no longer commanded a majority.
“If he (Juhar) really wants to join politics, he should stop hiding in the palace,” he was quoted as saying by Daily Express.
Zulkarnain said his extended tenure as state governor could be interpreted as a purported reward for Juhar for his role in ensuring Shafie was made the chief minister.
“This is why we are lodging this complaint with the MACC so the agency can open an investigation paper on the matter,” he said.
Yesterday, Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) Wira legal bureau chief Mohd Ardy Nadzrah Abd Rahman lodged a police report against Zulkarnain for inappropriate claims against Juhar.
Musa had on the evening of July 29 claimed to have the majority support of the 65-member state assembly and would be presenting the statutory declarations to Juhar. It was later reported that Warisan Kemabong assemblyman Jamawi Jaafar was the last to sign the statutory declaration at 9.30pm.
However, Shafie said that he had met Juhar on the night of July 29 and requested a dissolution. On July 30, Juhar consented to Shafie’s request.
