KOTA KINABALU – All issues related to the alleged six-year suspension of Sabah’s Deputy Chief Minister III, Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, from Umno, will be resolved internally, said Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, said as far as Umno is concerned, Shahelmey, who is the Putatan MP and Tg Keramat state assemblyman, is representing the unity government.
“In the unity government, we are governed by a spirit of unity, and therefore, all issues will be discussed and resolved internally,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the Asia Pacific Youth Summit 4.0 here today.
When asked to comment on Shahelmey’s statement that he has yet to receive the letter of his alleged suspension, Zahid said “We do it internally”.
On March 18, Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin had confirmed that Shahelmey would be suspended as an Umno member for six years, but on July 26, Shahelmey claimed that he did not receive a letter about the suspension.
Shahelmy’s alleged suspension followed an announcement on January 7 by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar that Sabah Umno and Barisan Nasion would withdraw their support for Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor as the Sabah chief minister, but Shahelmey, together with four state assemblymen, pledged their support for Hajiji, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman. – July 30, 2023