KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno Youth Chief and Sipitang member of parliament (MP), Yamani Hafez Musa is believed to be abroad after he failed to turn up at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Questions about his began to surface after he was not present during the oath-taking ceremony for MPs at parliament.
Some Umno Youth members claimed that Yamani Hafez, who is the son of former Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman, could be in London.
State Umno Youth secretary Bahrin Abdul Karim said the last he met Yamani Hafez was at the Chief Minister’s official residence at Sri Gaya right after the 14th General Election and prior to Musa’s supposed swearing-in as Chief Minister, an incident which has now become a police case.
“I lost contact with him after those events. He did not contact any of us (Umno Youth members). I believe he is now in London, accompanying his father,” said Bahrin when contacted.
He said Yamani Hafez remained as the Sabah Umno Youth chief pending any decision by the national-level party wing to appointment someone else to the post.
Meanwhile, Sipitang Umno Youth chief Mazlan @ Joehari Manan, who won the post uncontested after Yamani Hafez did not seek re-election for the divisional youth post, said that the latter was probably overseas.
“I met him during the GE14. I last texted him prior to the Umno election. I was asking him permission to replace him as Sipitang Youth Umno and he gave the blessing,” he said, adding that Sipitang Umno Youth wing was now focused on strengthening itself.
Attempts to contact Yamani Hafez were unsuccessful. Several other party members echoed what Bahrin and Mazlan said as they believe that he was not in the country.
Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin had lodged a report against Musa alleging that a threat had been made in regards to his swearing-in as the Chief Minister on May 10.
However, two days later Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was sworn in as chief minister after six BN assemblymen sided with the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan pact, giving him a simple majority among members of the state legislative assemblymen to form the state government.
Following that, the Istana Negeri sent a letter to Musa, informing him that he was no longer the Chief Minister with effect on May 12.
Sabah police have been on the lookout for Musa to assist an investigation into an alleged criminal intimidation against Juhar in regards to Musa’s swearing-in as the chief minister on May 10.
On May 17, Musa filed a writ of summons against Juhar and Shafie to seek a declaration that he is and remains the lawful chief minister and that the purported swearing in of Shafie as a second chief minister was unconstitutional.