KUALA LUMPUR – Two state lawmakers in Malaysia’s Sabah state quit their party on Monday (June 15) to support the alliance of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, amid speculation of more defections.

Sabah is controlled by Parti Warisan Sabah, an ally of opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance has toppled the state governments of Johor, Melaka, Perak and Kedah since it came to power three months ago, and is now aiming to take over hydrocarbon- and timber-rich Sabah.

The two state assemblymen from United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko), James Ratib and Limus Jury, said they quit the party to become independent legislators who support PN.

The defections do not affect Warisan’s control of the state assembly, as the ruling alliance still has 45 – or two thirds – of the 65-seat legislature.

Sabah-based Upko still has three seats in the assembly.

Last week, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, who is also Warisan’s president and a close ally of ex-premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, called a news conference to claim that PN has been trying to woo its 15 Sabah MPs and 47 state lawmakers with posts and money.

He said PN was also using intimidation through various instruments of government to make the MPs and assemblymen switch political camps.

Last week, Sabah’s Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony, a staunch loyalist of Datuk Seri Shafie, was charged with five money laundering charges at the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court in relation to rural development projects.

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