KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah minister Datuk Ewon Benedick yesterday questioned Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal about his decision to defer action on two pertinent issues pending discussions with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
"I don't know why he was so afraid of Dr Mahathir," FMT quoted Benedick as saying in a ceramah while campaigning for the Penampang parliamentary seat.
Benedick claimed that no leader of Sabah Pakatan Harapan had ever expressed being opposed to Sabah reclaiming its right to shared tax revenue, contrary to Shafie's claim.
"What I did hear was that Shafie, who was chief minister then, said he would discuss the matter with then prime minister Dr Mahathir before making a decision.
"This happened when Sarawak sued the federal government for the right to levy a five per cent sales tax on petroleum products. Sarawak had invited Shafie to join them in the lawsuit but he declined," he said.
The same thing happened in 2019, after an enactment to impose a five per cent sales tax on petroleum products was approved in the state assembly.
Benedick said he had asked Shafie why the enactment wasn't immediately enforced and was informed that Shafie wanted to discuss the issue with Dr Mahathir first before deciding.
"He kept delaying until Dr Mahathir resigned in 2020. Only then did he decide to enforce the enactment. I don't know why he was so afraid of Dr Mahathir."
Benedick further said he was surprised Shafie attacked and slandered his former cabinet ministers over the revenue issue.
He said Warisan had three full ministers in the federal cabinet and could have done more.
Shafie was also a member of various high-level committees and councils at the national level and could have easily fought for Sabah's rights instead of blaming the PH leaders.
Meanwhile, Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe, a former member of Shafie's cabinet, accused Shafie of unfairly criticising his former colleagues.
"He was the leader of the Sabah government and yet he is blaming them. How can he go that low?" he said.
According to Shafie, his government could have done more to reclaim the state's right to a share of tax revenues, but PH refused to back the move because their parties told them not to.