Bersatu’s Rural Development Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad has apologised for his remark that Umno was not popular in Sabah.
This follows an uproar from his allies in Perikatan Nasional over the remark.
“The statement was my own and does not represent the party (Bersatu)… I humbly apologise if my remarks offended certain quarters.
“The real enemy is the opposition. Let’s not fight among ourselves,” he was quoted as saying by the Perikatan Nasional Backbenchers Club (PNBBC) portal.
Abdul Latiff won the Mersing parliament seat on a BN ticket in 2018. However, he later quit Umno and has since joined Bersatu.
In a livestream talk at Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) yesterday, he said that Umno was not popular in Sabah while commenting on how changing political parties was a norm in the state.
“Sabahans don’t call it defection but migration. It is normal for (politicians) to leave Berjaya (Sabah United People’s Party) to Usno (United Sabah National Organization) and later to PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah). From PBS, they went to join Umno.
“Now Umno is no longer popular… I mean Umno… the party in Sabah. That’s the reality because they no longer enjoy the confidence of everyone. So, they (former Umno lawmakers) defected. They migrated to Bersatu,” said Abdul Latiff.
His comments triggered an angry response from Umno, with its Youth Chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki calling for Abdul Latiff to resign.
“Such a rude and arrogant statement should not be coming from someone with a minister’s status in a government formed by multiple parties especially against its biggest component party,” said Asyraf.
“It’s even more inappropriate when it comes from someone who had jumped shipped and left the party upon which he won his Parliamentary seat on,” he said.
Asyraf said that in order to maintain respect and harmony among parties in the Perikatan Nasional government, Latiff ought to resign.
“Umno Youth are not willing to let its dignity be marred again by traitors, of whom we have tried to compromise with,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin hit back at Latiff, saying Umno fell in the last election due to its former leaders who chose to abandon the party’s struggles for the sake of power and position.
“There is no term like ‘hijrah’ but the culture of ‘buying’ MPs to strengthen power that is practised by PPBM,” he said.
“This is the same for the Mersing MP (Latiff) who won on a Barisan Nasional ticket but crossed over to support the government (previously Pakatan Harapan) for his political survival.
“Those who are qualified to evaluate Sabah Umno are Sabahans — not an MP who jumped and left the party when it was down.”
He also questioned Latiff whether he thought crossing over from PH and now working with Umno, through Perikatan Nasional, was not wrong.
“He is now the rural and regional development minister — is that hijrah? He is back together with Umno to have political power and become a minister,” said the Kinabatangan MP.
Bung said Sabah Umno had not died and remained relevant to the people, adding it had risen stronger from its past mistakes.
“The BN victory in the Kimanis by-election is asignal that Sabah Umno has been accepted again by the people. We managed to defeat the Warisan-led government while we were still in the opposition.”
He said the party’s journey in Sabah was long, adding it was in the midst of strengthening its grassroots.
“A strong party is a party that holds on to its fight, not one that prioritises power,” he said.
Earlier, Barisan Nasional adviser and former prime minister Najib Razak had also criticised Latiff for playing down the party’s popularity in Sabah, saying there was no need for such remarks.
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“Even though you jumped, there is no need to say this, YB minister. We will take Mersing back,” he said in a Facebook post.
