FORMER tourism minister Mohamaddin Ketapi has quit his party, Warisan, leaving the Pakatan Harapan (PH) ally with one less parliamentary as well as state seat in Sabah.

Free Malaysia Today reported the Lahad Datu MP announcing his resignation from the party at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu this morning.

Mohamaddin, who is also Segama rep, said he is now an independent supporting the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government.

He said his reason for quitting Warisan, which is led by Mohd Shafie Apdal, is the lack of development in the two seats where he is incumbent.

“I believe that this will continue if I remain in the opposition bloc,” the portal quoted him as saying.

He also denied being “bought over”, dismissing earlier claims by Shafie that there were attempts to entice Warisan reps to quit the party.

“I left the party not because I was bought off but due to the appalling state in my constituencies,” he was quoted as saying.

He said he had made development promises to Segama constituents but had been unable to deliver and felt he would be able to do so if he supported the ruling pact.

Mohamaddin was PH’s tourism, culture and arts minister while the coalition was in federal power.

He now becomes the third Warisan assemblyman to have left the party, following Sindumin rep Yusof Yacob earlier this month, and Sebatik rep Hassan A. Gani in February.

Warisan also has its Bugaya seat vacant, following the death of its incumbent Manis Muka Mohd Darah in November last year.

The party won 29 seats in the Sabah elections in September last year, six of which were DAP candidates using the Warisan logo. Allies PKR and Upko won two and one seat, respectively, making a total of 32 seats won by the Warisan Plus bloc out of the 73-seat legislative assembly. – October 30, 2021.