KOTA KINABALU – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has assured that action has been taken against party’s Sabah member Datuk Shahelmy Yahya for not toeing the party line earlier this year, but it was done internally.
He said Shahelmy remains a party member, and an MP and assemblyman representing Umno despite his actions.
“Although his membership should have been automatically dropped, in the spirit of the unity government, we have decided to take action internally,” Zahid stated after officiating the Asia Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit at a hotel here today.
Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin announced a six-year suspension for Shahelmy after he refused to toe the party line during the attempted coup to oust Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) last January.
This suspension came after Sabah Umno withdrew their support for the GRS leader, resulting in a cabinet reshuffle that saw Bung being removed as deputy chief minister, and leaving Hajiji’s administration shaky.
Six Sabah Umno leaders, including Shahelmy, opposed the move
In March, Bung announced Shahelmy’s suspension, but Shahelmy recently said that he has not received any official word from Umno on his suspension. – The Vibes, July 30, 2023
