KOTA KINABALU – Putatan MP Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said the news about his six-year Umno membership suspension was expected, and he accepted it with open arms.
In a Facebook post today, Shahelmey said he learned about the matter not from Umno, but from news articles published today.
News portals quoted Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin as saying: “Well, he (Shahelmey) has been suspended for six years.”
Bung Moktar said this when answering a reporter’s question during a press conference held after the Kinabatangan Umno delegates meeting at the Sandakan Community Hall.
Shahelmey, who is Sabah deputy chief minister and works minister, said many people have been asking him about the news.
“To date, I have yet to receive official notice from Umno (on the suspension). However, I expected such a decision.
“I receive this (decision) with open arms. I hope that this statement in the news can be considered as the official decision,” he said.
Last month, Shahelmey told the press that he left his fate to the Umno disciplinary board after he openly went against Umno Sabah’s decision to withdraw support for Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor.
Shahelmey however could not quit Umno as he is subject to federal anti-hopping laws, seeing that he is an MP. –The Vibes, March 18, 2023