KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Harapan has never suggested that a Sabahan or Sarawakian leader was not qualified to become Prime Minister, says PKR deputy information chief Razeef Rakimin.

Razeef said this in response to such claims by Parti Warisan’s Datuk Azis Jamman following the offer by PH to have a Deputy Prime Minister from Sabah or Sarawak.

Barisan Nasional had also made an offer of three DPMs; each representing Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak.

Azis, who is Warisan information chief, questioned if the creation of the slot signalled that a leader from east Malaysia could not hold the number one position in future and only those from Peninsular could do so.

“Pakatan never stated this, in fact the offer for DPM is the preliminary steps to show leaders from Sabah or Sarawak are capable of holding the number two post, and one day there may come a Prime Minister from Borneo,” he said in a statement on Monday (Oct 24).

Responding to Azis’s statement that it was not the DPM slot that Sabah folks wanted but the full implementation of the state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), he reminded that Pakatan has previously mentioned its ‘beyond autonomy’ offer.

“This means not only the execution of MA63, but other initiatives beyond MA63 in line with what Sabah needed at present after Malaysia was formed … Even after no longer in power, Pakatan has never stopped fighting for MA63.

“I am confident if Pakatan is given the mandate again by the people, we will be capable of carrying out what was stated in MA63,” said Razeef.

He further claimed that Warisan would not be able to bring any changes even if it won all 26 seats in Sabah and Labuan, since the party only planned to become ‘kingmaker’ in this coming 15th general election (GE15).