Shahelmey says he's still with Umno, will serve out six-year suspension

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya has maintained that he is still an Umno member and will serve out his six-year suspension.

The Putatan MP and Tanjung Keramat assemblyman said, however, he had yet to be officially informed of the suspension apart from a public statement by Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on the matter.

"I have not got a letter yet but Bung said I have been suspended, so I will leave it at that.

"State election is a long way from now, two years (2025) away, until then we work first," Shahelmey said Wednesday (July 26) when asked if he had made a decision on his political direction.

He and several other Sabah Barisan assemblymen continued to support Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government during the Jan 5 failed political coup by Sabah Barisan and Parti Warisan.

Subsequently, Bung Moktar told reporters that Shahelmey’s membership had been suspended by the supreme council for going against the party's stand to withdraw its support for the GRS government.

If Shahelmey had quit Umno immediately after the failed coup, he would have had to vacate his Putatan seat according to the Federal anti-party hopping law.

With Sabah also adopting the law on June 15, leaving the party voluntarily after that date would also leave his state assembly seat vacant.

However, being sacked by the party would not cause either seat to be vacated.