DATUK Shahelmey Yahya seems caught in a bind, suspended by Umno yet still its MP, torn between loyalty to his old party and the political realities of Sabah’s fast-approaching state election.
The Putatan MP and Tanjung Keramat assemblyman admitted he is still weighing his next move amid warnings from Umno headquarters that members who defy the party line could face disciplinary action and a RM100 million fine.
“I have taken note of the statement from the Umno secretary-general and am still in the process of considering my political position,” Shahelmey said when met in Putatan.
He said there was still time before Nomination Day on November 15, noting that three weeks in politics was “a long time” in which “many things can happen.”
“What matters is that any decision we make must be for the good of all. In any election, the main objective is to seek the people’s mandate.
When the time comes – after nominations and the campaign period – the power rests with the people to choose the leaders they want,” he said.
Pressed on whether he would contest as an independent candidate, Shahelmey replied with a brief smile: “Wait and see.”
His remarks follow a warning from Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki that members who contest under another party’s logo will face legal consequences under the party constitution.
Suspended from Umno earlier this year but still serving in Parliament, Shahelmey has not ruled out contesting under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner.
His options narrowed further after Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin confirmed Jeffrey Nor Mohamad, the Putatan division chief, as the party’s candidate for Tanjung Keramat.
For now, Shahelmey appears hemmed in on both fronts, unable to move without risking punishment, yet reluctant to fade into irrelevance as Sabah’s political tide shifts.
The Sabah election, with polling set for November 29, falls just a week after the federal government enters its third year in office – a quirk of timing that could determine Shahelmey’s fate.
Under Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution, if a parliamentary seat becomes vacant after November 22, 2025, the Election Commission (EC) is not required to call a by-election.
That means if Shahelmey’s Putatan seat is declared vacant for breaching Malaysia’s anti-party-hopping law, it could remain unfilled until the next general election.
Acting before November 22 could trigger a by-election; waiting until after could leave Putatan without representation – a dilemma that deepens the sense that he is politically trapped by both timing and law.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun meanwhile stressed that only the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat can declare a parliamentary seat vacant.
He said the commission would review any cases involving breaches of election or party-hopping provisions once it receives formal notification from the Speaker.
Nomination Day for the 17th Sabah election has been set on November 15, early voting on November 25, and polling on November 29, following the assembly’s dissolution on October 6. - October 25, 2025
