KUALA LUMPUR – The political situation in Sabah remains unresolved, said Umno’s state chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, alluding to further prolonged upheaval in the state.
Bung Moktar even hinted at more political manoeuvres in the state, which could lead to the possible formation of a new state government.
“It is not over yet as there is still unrest in the state because the early formation of the government consisted of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Umno. This is still a question but that’s okay, people play politics, we play politics too.”
He however said he has no intention to topple the government, but merely change its direction for the betterment of the people.
“We are not going to topple the government, topple means we are doing something bad. We only want to change the political course so that the state and the people of Sabah would be properly developed.
“Toppling brings a negative connotation, we are not trying to topple but want to make Sabah better,” he said on the sidelines of the Umno general assembly here today.
When asked about the five Umno assemblymen who support Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Bung Moktar said he will leave the matter for the party leadership to decide.
Meanwhile, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said central Umno will continue to stand by the Sabah Umno leadership, despite the political uncertainty in the state.
“Despite what has happened recently in Sabah, I want to make an affirmation that central Umno will continue to stand by Sabah Umno,” said Zahid in his policy speech at the 2022 Umno general assembly.
On January 11, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Hajiji announced a state cabinet reshuffle that saw Bung Moktar dropped as deputy chief minister and replaced by Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
On January 6, Bung Moktar announced that the state’s Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) chapters would withdraw support for Hajiji, saying the GRS leader had lost his locus standi as chief minister.
Bung Moktar also claimed that Hajiji had breached their agreement, citing the sacking of Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak as Qhazanah Sabah Bhd chairman and threat of a cabinet reshuffle without consulting his bloc.
He added that Sabah BN never signed any pact with GRS, and had signed a pact with PN when they decided to cooperate to form the state government in 2020. – The Vibes, January 13, 2023
