Ceasar Mandela Malakun
PENAMPANG: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has dismissed Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s pledge to place Sabah’s natural resources under the management of Yayasan Sabah, calling it a move aimed at boosting voter appeal rather than a genuine policy initiative.
Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Moyog Division Chief Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun questioned Shafie’s sincerity, noting that the former Chief Minister had full authority to implement such reforms during his administration from 2018 to 2020.
He described the pledge as a politically calculated attempt to attract voters, rather than a commitment backed by genuine action.
“Let’s be very clear — Shafie had more than two years in power with full executive control. If he truly believed Sabah’s resources should be placed under Yayasan Sabah for the benefit of the people, why didn’t he do it then?” he said in a statement today.
Mandela was responding to Shafie’s recent mega ceramah at Inanam, where the former Chief Minister pledged that natural resources, including minerals and lands under GLCs such as Sabah Softwood and Benta Wawasan, would be managed by Yayasan Sabah. Shafie also promised to settle education loans for Sabahans studying locally or abroad once funds were sufficient.
Mandela said Shafie’s repeated excuse that Warisan “only governed for about two years” does not justify the lack of reforms during his tenure.
He warned that granting vast resource-management powers to Yayasan Sabah must come with strict governance, pointing out that Shafie did not implement sufficient reforms while in office, raising risks of cronyism and mismanagement.
“Now that he is out of power, he revives grand visions. But where was this vision when he had power?” he demanded, urging Shafie to clarify the structural reforms he plans to implement, including leadership, profit distribution and safeguards.
He emphasised that resource management should benefit ordinary Sabahans, funding education, infrastructure and community development, rather than being centrally controlled without transparency.
“Sabahans are tired of grand promises with no follow-through. Leaders must be evaluated by what they did, not what they say now that they are out of power,” said Mandela.
He criticised Warisan’s superficial policy implementations, citing the 2018 log export ban intended to protect local industries and jobs, but lacking systemic reform of Yayasan Sabah. Concerns had also been raised during Shafie’s tenure about Sabah’s timber revenue not being fully captured by the state or Yayasan Sabah.
Mandela noted that large-scale timber seizures under Shafie were politically driven, causing at least RM10 million in losses, according to the former Chief Conservator of Forests.
“If Shafie had been serious about redirecting timber wealth to Sabahans, he needed to strengthen Yayasan Sabah’s governance rather than merely promise future reforms,” he said.
Under GRS, the state has renegotiated grants to Yayasan Sabah, increasing from RM 125.6 million in 2022 to RM 600 million from 2025, while preserving the full 40 per cent formula.
“GRS will not rest until Sabah gets its rightful, constitutional share — not symbolic grants,” said Mandela, linking Shafie’s promises to the Warisan administration’s economic record. He noted state revenue under Warisan was around RM 4.2 billion in 2019, while GRS has significantly boosted revenue and reserves.
“Resource control is not just about authority. It must translate into stronger fiscal management and real growth, which Warisan failed to deliver,” he added.
Mandela urged voters at Warisan rallies to differentiate facts from emotions.
“When leaders are desperate to win an election, they will say anything to look appealing. Judge fairly based on facts. All of us want to avoid a five-year regret,” he said.
