THE news clipping that has been uploaded to social media claiming that Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and Deputy Chief Minister Bung Moktar Radin met with Yang Dipertua Negri of Sabah Juhar Mahiruddin at 2.30pm yesterday is false, according to the deputy chief minister’s office.

Press secretary Jaafar Abd Wahid said in a statement today that the clip was from the state elections in 2020, but the date had been deliberately cropped to mislead readers.

He said the clip was deliberately spread by people looking to enflame the general election, which should not have been done as it could cause anxiety among the people.

“I received several calls and messages questioning the validity of the news. I had breakfast with Bung Moktar at his residence (yesterday) before sending him in the afternoon to Kota Kinabalu International Airport to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur.

“(Yesterday) The chief minister was in Kota Marudu for the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah tour programme… this news clipping was spread by irresponsible individuals on social media, especially WhatsApp,” he said.

The clip has raised questions on the status of the assembly following rumours that some GRS assemblymen would join their Bandau colleague Wetrom Bahanda in leaving the party.

Sabah is administered by GRS and Barisan Nasional (BN), which have 53 seats in the assembly, compared with the opposition’s 25 seats.

Jaafar said the clip was being used by opposition cybertroopers to create fracture government support, especially GRS and BN. – Bernama, October 17, 2022.