Umno appointed its sole remaining Sabah federal lawmaker, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, as the state’s liaison committee chairman today, after the party was gutted by an exodus of its other state parliamentarians and assemblymen.
This morning, rumours of mass exits from Umno proved true as all of its elected representatives except Bung and former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman resigned as party members.
Four out of five MPs and nine out 10 assemblymen announced their decision to leave.
Some 21 out of 25 of its division chiefs are also leaving as well as two supreme council members Tan Sri Pandikar Amin and Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak and senators Datuk Ghani Yassin and Datuk John Ambrose.
The four MPs are Kudat MP Abd Rahim Bakri, Beaufort MP Azizah Mohd Dun, Libaran MP Zakaria Mohd Edris and Beluran MP Ronald Kiandee are leaving.
The four division chiefs which chose to stay are from Kinabatangan, Sepanggar, Tenom and Kalabakan.
At the same time, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah deputy president Arthur Kurup also announced his departure from Barisan Nasional.
Former state liaison chairman Datuk Hajiji Noor said they were disappointed by the lack of development and lack of clear political direction from the party’s central leadership.
“There are conflicting accounts of the way forward, depending on who you talk to at the leadership,” he said.
“Sipitang MP Hafez Yamani Musa has also indicated his intention to leave,” said Hajiji.
However, it is yet to be known when or if Hafez will be taking his oath as MP as he has been missing and unreachable.
“You will have to ask him, we do not know where he is, but he can still quit Umno even if he is not the MP,” former Umno state secretary Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun told reporters when asked about Hafez’s status.
Hajiji said he is expecting more Sabah Umno members to depart, including state Wanita Umno chief Datuk Jainab Ahmad and all division chiefs in its wings.
“It is entirely up to them, at their own free will. But we expect more than half of the 500,000 members of Umno here to join us,” he said.
Hajiji said Umno’s relevance in Sabah has become untenable and the party members needed to chart a new political direction.
“We have also taken into account the 100,000 non-Muslim members of Umno in their analysis of political trends in this country. Any shift in the political direction of the party would surely jeopardise their support for Umno.
“We are leaving Umno with a heavy heart but with a clear conscience. We sincerely believe breaking free from the political baggage of the past is the correct decision to allow political renewal for the betterment of Sabah,” he said.
Masidi said departing members have informed Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi prior to today’s announcement when they raised their concern over the party’s lacklustre direction.
He added that they did not need to tell him of today’s development.
Beluran MP Datuk Ronald Kiandee also said that he last met Zahid on Monday and informed him of the decision.
Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa announced Bung’s appointment as the state’s liaison committee chairman at a special press conference today.
Hajiji has pledged full support to the Pakatan Harapan government under Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and also to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
He said the elected representatives will stay independent for now, and continue to serve the state and country until a “new political vehicle” is known.
“We have yet to reach a decision on our next move. We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said, adding that they hoped that the group could remain intact and move as a whole.
Asked to verify rumours of their interest in bringing Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia to Sabah, he said that it remains speculation for now, and brushed off the presence of two PPBM leaders – supreme council member Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen and its policy and strategy bureau chief Rais Hussin – at today’s event.
“It is up to their party leadership to decide whether to come here,” he said.
Hajiji said the group would consider all options in the future and have not discounted joining Parti Warisan Sabah.
“For now we will just be an independent group, who will speak our minds,” said Masidi.