KEPALA BATAS – Umno will contest the five Sabah state seats it lost in 2023 due to defections, despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call for a united front between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the upcoming state election, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president and BN chairman said that while the party would consider Anwar’s suggestion, any seat previously won by Umno but later lost to defectors must be reclaimed.
“(However) Umno would like to state that any seats that it contested (and won) in the past, and yet were lost to other parties, must be taken back by the party,” he said at a ceremony to rename Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Kepala Batas to MRSM Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“There were seats (in Sabah) that were contested by the party. However, ‘manipulations’ occurred at the last minute, and these seats ended up being held by ex-Umno leaders.
“We have to look into these matters before an agreement can be reached (on the grand coalition),” Zahid added.
The Sabah political upheaval in 2023 was sparked when BN, led by its state chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, withdrew support for GRS chairman and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in an attempt to bring down the state administration.
However, five Umno assemblymen chose to back Hajiji and GRS instead. They were Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Datuk James Ratib (Sugut), Datuk Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), Datuk Mohd Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk), and Datuk Hamild Awang (Balung).
Shahelmey, who remained in Umno to avoid contravening the federal anti-hopping law, was subsequently appointed deputy chief minister, replacing Bung Moktar who was later expelled from the state government. The other four assemblymen formally joined GRS.
Yesterday, Anwar floated the idea of a grand coalition between GRS, BN and PH, stressing its importance in maintaining political stability both nationally and in Sabah. However, he noted that discussions between Sabah PH, BN Sabah and GRS are ongoing and no formal agreement has been reached, local media reported.
The current term of the Sabah state government is due to expire in October. – May 12, 2025.