KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Umno will continue supporting the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) at the state level for now, said state chapter chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
Bung Moktar reiterated the need for the state chapter to honour the mandate given to it by the people, and, therefore, will keep GRS – an alliance that includes Sabah Perikatan Nasional – intact.
However, he said the two Umno parliamentarians in the state – himself as Kinabatangan MP and Datuk Mohamad Alamin (Kimanis MP) – will abide by party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s announcement to withdraw support from PN.
“As far as Sabah is concerned, we are following the mandate given to us by Sabahans,” he said when contacted today.
“We want to keep the alliance strong so we can continue to serve the people.”
The Lamag assemblyman had reiterated the same stand several times in the past, following the worsening developments between Umno and PN in the peninsula.
Sabah Umno has been granted autonomy to chart its own direction by the party’s national leadership.
It has also signed a cooperation pact with GRS parties – including Sabah Bersatu, which is led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor – following the state polls last year.
However, Zahid last night announced that the cooperation between Umno and PN ends with immediate effect.
When pressed further, Bung Moktar refused to comment on the ongoing political development at the federal level.
Sabah Umno and Barisan Nasional have 14 assemblymen, and their possible withdrawal of support from GRS could cost the alliance the state government. – The Vibes, July 8, 2021
