KOTA KINABALU: The resignations of several Sabah elected representatives from Umno is a clear sign that something is wrong with the party.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said this was because the party’s direction was still up in the air.
“There have been different signals from different leaders and this has confused the grassroots members. Six months have gone by, yet Umno still cannot give a clear signal as to the direction in which it will head.
“In the context of Sabah, the central Umno leadership has failed to understand the uniqueness of the political scene there following the 14th general election (GE14)... there has also been no consistent or substantive engagement with them since GE14,” he said in a statement.
Rahman said he believed there would now be more people pointing the finger of blame at others, but no one would admit that Umno’s lack of direction was the reason why its Sabah leaders had decided to leave the party.
“As an Umno supreme council member, I was not surprised by the actions of these Sabah Umno leaders in leaving the party. I do not blame them. It is their right after weighing up all aspects of politics in Sabah,” he said.
Meanwhile, Beaufort member of parliament Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, who was one of those who resigned their memberships, said the decision of the five MPs and nine assemblymen was taken after consultation between them.
In fact, she said, the decision was long awaited by Umno members in their respective constituencies.
“Actually, the people in our constituencies have congratulated us for the decision as that is what they want,” she told reporters after the announcement on the decision.
Besides Azizah, the other MPs who have left Umno are Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri (Kudat), Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee (Beluran), Datuk Zakaria Edris (Libaran) and Yamani Hafez Musa (Sipitang).
Asked about allegations that the 14 elected representatives had left Umno for “financial reasons”, Azizah denied the claims all together.
“As announced by former Umno Sabah liaison committee chairman Datuk Hajiji Noor, the decision was made in the interests of the people and the state, what more with the situation Umno finds itself in now, with no clear direction,” she said.
Meanwhile, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin said he is adamant that he would continue fighting for Umno in Sabah.
“There are many grassroots members who still have hope that Umno will continue to fight for the people here, especially those in rural areas. What is important is that those who have left now have a huge burden to bear on their shoulders,” he said.