The infamous Kinabalu Move, aimed at ousting Hajiji Noor as Sabah chief minister, was the ultimate betrayal of Sabahans, according to Kunak assemblyman Norazlinah Arif.
Norazlinah was with Warisan in 2023 when the party, led by president Shafie Apdal, plotted with Sabah Umno to replace the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government.
The two-term assemblyman said Warisan members were hoping the memorandum of understanding — struck between the party, GRS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan on Dec 16, 2022 — would benefit the people.
The intention was to back the newly established unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, she added.
“Our hope at the time was that the leaders of the respective parties and coalitions would unite to prioritise the rakyat above their personal interests or that of the party.
“Unfortunately, the opposite happened,” she told FMT, referring to the failed ‘coup’ led by Sabah Umno.
In January 2023, Bung Moktar Radin, the Sabah Umno chief, announced that the party was withdrawing its support for Hajiji.
However, six Umno assemblymen pledged continued support for Hajiji, foiling Bung’s plans which had the backing of Warisan and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat.
Pakatan Harapan and GRS assemblymen also pledged their undivided support for Hajiji, who assumed the top post in September 2020 following a state election.
Bung was subsequently dropped as the state’s deputy chief minister.
Last month, Norazlinah claimed there was nothing altruistic about the Kinabalu Move. She said she and several others were informed that four or five Warisan leaders would be named to the state Cabinet if they backed the Bung-led coup.
Following its failure, Norazlinah and several other Warisan assemblymen threw their support behind Hajiji.
Norazlinah is grateful the attempted coup failed due to a lack of support for Warisan president Shafie Apdal as the next chief minister.
“Many assemblymen, mainly from BN and PH, were also in favour of retaining the current administration (under Hajiji).
“For me, that was a sign that we were betrayed by a party that was supposedly championing the people’s rights.”
Hajiji has treated us well
The Kinabalu Move was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Norazlinah.
On Feb 6, 2023, she left Warisan, a party she had been with since its founding in 2016.
She expressed no regrets for her decision, especially after aligning with Hajiji, whom she praised for addressing the people’s issues through action rather than rhetoric.
“Hajiji treats all assemblymen fairly, myself included, despite the fact that I only recently joined GRS,” she said, adding that the chief minister was also more accessible.
According to Norazalinah, there is talk of Warisan joining forces with BN for the upcoming state election, despite Shafie previously stating that the party intends to contest all 73 seats on its own.
She said such talk contradicted Warisan’s previous stance on an alliance with BN.
“When we first joined the party, we were indoctrinated to think that our mission was to topple BN.
“Their (Warisan’s) ego is forcing them to forgo that very principle — all because they are power hungry.”
