KOTA KINABALU – The tussle to the top has yet to significantly affect Sabah, but local political parties are watching it unfold from afar.
Sabah Umno youth chief Abdul Aziz Julkarnain said the impasse is far from over although the party’s Supreme Council early Tuesday decided to continue to work with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“It will invite uncertainties in the future of the federal government and no matter how the things pan out.
“This boils down to a numbers game,” Aziz told The Vibes.
He added Sabah Umno remains committed to resolving issues for Sabahans, detaching itself from federal politics.
“We have the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah now and Sabah Umno respects the mandate given by the people. We are getting fed up with this endless political turmoil and the people are suffering because of it.
“Sabah Umno has its autonomy and we decide our own path in accordance to the state political mould and ingredients.”
Aziz, however, is cognisant that the current political scenario in Peninsular Malaysia will the chapter’s autonomy to the test.
He believes Sabah Umno led by chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin will stick to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah alliance, saying Sabah parties can stand united like Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the face of challenges.
“We may be a national party, but we are local and that's what autonomy means for Sabah Umno,” said Aziz.
The situation at present remains fluid although the Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance led by Muhyiddin has the upperhand with 50 seats over Barisan Nasional’s (BN) 43 in the Dewan Rakyat.
The political shake-up at the federal level was triggered by opposition leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claiming he had majority parliamentarian support, effectively toppling Muhyiddin and PN.
This opened up an opportunity for Umno, BN’s lynchpin, to demand for more cabinet positions, including the deputy prime minister position that has been left vacant since PN took power in March.
It came to a sudden halt when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong last Sunday rejected Muyhiddin’s proposal to declare a state of emergency and called for an end to politicking. – The Vibes, October 28, 2020
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