SANDAKAN – Putatan MP Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said he has accepted Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin’s call for him to resign and vacate his parliamentary seat, should he decide to contest in the upcoming state polls, with an open heart.
The Tanjung Keramat state assemblyman said he understands Bung Moktar’s comments were based on the repercussions of hopping parties under the anti-party hopping law.
“I understand the message and have prepared to accept it with an open heart.
“Currently, I have not made any decisions about it and will only do so when I feel the appropriate time has come,” he said when responding to reporters via WhatsApp today.
Last night, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar said that Shahelmey must vacate the Putatan federal seat if the latter decides to contest in the upcoming Sabah election.
“The decision is in his (Shahelmey) hands. If he contests, it means he has to follow the rules. He has to resign from his position as (Putatan) MP.
“It means that there might be a simultaneous election (Putatan federal seat and Tanjung Keramat state seat), but that is not our rule – it is the rule of the Election Commission,” he said.
Bung Moktar said this when met by reporters after the Sabah Umno’s breaking of the fast programme at Masjid Al-Hilal, Kg Contoh, Kota Kinabalu on Saturday night.
He added that Sabah Umno has many candidates to choose from for the Putatan parliamentary seat.
Shahelmey’s membership in Umno was suspended for six years, effective March 18, 2023 due to his decision to support Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor for the position of chief minister, which contradicted the stance of Sabah Umno at the time.
Shahelmey holds both the Tanjung Keramat state seat and the Putatan federal seat, which he won in the Sabah state election in 2020 and the 15th general election in 2022 respectively.
This means that if Shahelmey decides to defend the Tanjung Keramat seat in the next Sabah election, he would have to contest under another party, which would drop his Umno membership, triggering a by-election for the Putatan federal seat in line with the anti-party hopping law.
The next Sabah state elections will be held in September 2025.
Despite coming from Umno, Shahelmey currently holds the position of Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III cum Works Minister for his support of Hajiji.
Sabah Umno is considered a state opposition party together with Warisan, while the ruling coalition is now GRS-PH Plus. – March 17, 2024