ANIFAH Aman and Mohd Shafie Apdal continue to lock horns over the latest claim made by Manila for Sabah.

The former foreign minister said what Sabahans wanted to know from the Parti Warisan Sabah president was why he was silent when the Philippines again laid claim to Sabah recently, and not what he had done to stop the demand.

“Shafie can claim to have taken action over the sensitive matter all he wants but the question at the back of every Sabahan’s mind is why he, as chief minister, did not immediately respond to the latest demand by Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr in his tweet recently.

“Instead, Shafie left it to former law minister Liew Vui Keong to respond,” the Parti Cinta Sabah president said in a statement.

Anifah, in a recent report, questioned Shafie’s silence over Locsin’s tweet that “Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want anything to do with the Philippines”.

He said the Semporna MP’s silence had raised questions on whether or not he was worthy to lead Sabah.

Anifah reiterated that as foreign minister, he had done everything to stop all kinds of demands and threats, including the Philippine’s claim on Sabah.

“As foreign minister, I had numerous meetings with my counterpart and they tried, on numerous occasions to bring up this issue. 

“I had also reminded my counterpart in the Philippine government that Malaysia had never recognised their claim and therefore there was nothing to be resolved.

“Let’s never forget that Malaysia has never acknowledged such claim and therefore, as far as we are concerned, it has no merit to be entertained right from the start,” he said.

Anifah also slammed Shafie for telling reporters the issue about the claim was not his priority as he was busy facing an election.

“If the sovereignty of Sabah is not even your priority, and any action to demand your stand as chief minister is deemed as a propaganda, then you’re unfit to be a chief minister. 

“Any chief minister in their right mind would be among the first to respond to a claim like that,” he added.

Shafie earlier today brushed off Anifah’s claims he had been silent on the issue, and instead asked what the latter has done on the matter.

“We have already made clear our stand that Sabah does not belong to the Philippines. We oppose any such claim … just ask Zaleha,” he said, referring to former Sabah attorney-general Zaleha Rose Pandin.

Zaleha and the former Malaysian attorney-general had previously brought the case to a Spanish court to challenge Philippine’s claim.

Shafie also took aim at Anifah, for not having conveyed Sabah’s stand to his Filipino counterpart when he was the foreign minister. – August 18, 2020.