[UPDATED] Zahid rushes to Kota Kinabalu amid talk of brewing Sabah Umno crisis

KUALA LUMPUR – Sabah Umno appears to be in turmoil again with party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the way there amid talk of a tie-up between the state chapter and Warisan to face a coming state election.

“I’m flying to Sabah after this event. I’m going to issue a statement in Kota Kinabalu by tomorrow,” Zahid told reporters after an event here today.

He was asked to comment on the possible tie-up between Sabah Umno and Warisan to face the state’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-led government in polls that some speculate could be held next year. A state election is not due till 2025.

The tie-up would be awkward as Sabah Umno has assemblymen in the state cabinet. Sabah Umno and GRS have also had simmering tensions following the former’s attempt to pull support of its state lawmakers from the GRS-led government in January 2022.

Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin also faced calls to step down recently for allegedly pushing for cooperation with Warisan in coming state polls.

Sabah Umno has 13 assemblymen and Warisan, the state opposition, has 14 out of the 79 seats in the state assembly.

Last month, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said he was open to the possibility of cooperating with Sabah Umno in the next state election.

Bung and other Sabah Umno leaders had also attended Warisan’s annual general assembly last month. Bung at the time was non-committal to Shafie’s openness but said he did not rule out the possibility.

Bung had been Sabah deputy chief minister but lost the post after he led Sabah Umno in withdrawing support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor early last year.

Bung’s plan to change Sabah’s leadership failed as several Sabah Umno assemblymen maintained their support for Hajiji, and subsequently became ministers when the chief minister reshuffled his cabinet. – January 7, 2024