Warisan to Sue as Peter Anthony Excluded from 10 Defectors

KOTA KINABALU: Parti KDM president Datuk Peter Anthony is not on Parti Warisan’s list of assemblymen it plans to sue for breaching the party after the September 2020 Sabah snap election.

Earlier, it was reported that Warisan was pursuing breach-of-contract cases against 11 of its assemblymen who had defected over the past three years.

However, on Thursday (July 20), Warisan said it was only going after 10 of them.

“Warisan is preparing a lawsuit for breach of contract against the 10… who left the party and will leave it to the wisdom of the court to decide on their case,” party president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Warisan to pursue breach of contract cases against 11 assemblymen who defected

He did not name the 10 but party sources indicated that the one left out was Anthony, the Melalap assemblyman who left the party along with Limbahau representative Datuk Juil Nuatim in December 2021.

The sources declined to elaborate on the reason but noted that the party was not pursuing a case against him because of the changing political scenario.

After leaving Warisan, Anthony formed Parti KDM and appointed Juil one of his deputy presidents.

Juil, however, left the party in May to be a direct member of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ruling coalition led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Parti KDM, together with Warisan and Sabah Barisan Nasional/Umno, were part of a failed bid to topple the GRS-led government in January.

ALSO READ: Ex-Warisan rep ready to face legal action

Meanwhile, Mohd Shafie said the lawsuits against the 10 assemblymen will be filed after thoroughly studying the grounds of judgment made by the Kuala Lumpur High Court against Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin.

She was ordered to pay RM10mil for breaching an election bond with PKR after she defected from the party in 2020.

“Before contesting in the 2020 Sabah state elections, the 10 assemblymen had (contractually) agreed to vacate their seats in the event that they leave the party after winning.

“These assemblymen breached their contract with Warisan the moment they left the party.

“The defectors should also be liable to pay the costs incurred by Warisan for financing (their candidacy) and their campaigns,” Mohd Shafie said.

Zuraida, the former PKR vice president, has since filed an appeal against the decision on July 13.

ALSO READ: Warisan mulls over 11 reps who defected after Zuraida’s case

As for Sebatik assemblyman Hassan Amir Gani’s case, Mohd Shafie said Warisan has filed an appeal to review the High Court’s decision in June last year which rejected its bid to declare the seat vacant following his defection.

Mohd Shafie, who was chief minister from 2018 to 2020, said Malaysia has a democratic system of law and in a democracy, the judiciary stood impartial and objective.

“Warisan upholds that principle and therefore has decided to allow the court to decide on the matter.

“These assemblymen were elected by the people in a democratic process and their case should be judged thusly.

“The fact remains that they won on a Warisan ticket and were elected by voters who chose Warisan and not any other party.

“Their act of hopping to another party is undemocratic and a clear indication of betraying the people’s trust,” Mohd Shafie said.