“I am sure that he has thought about the overall picture and his main aim was to ensure unity at all levels of the party when he (Musa) decided to stay out. We thank him for this,’’ said Shafie on Tuesday who is defending his vice president post in the party.
Shafie, who is the first Sabahan to win a vice president post in Umno, said that Musa’s decision was welcomed as he has put the party interest above everything before deciding to stay out of the October elections.
On the eve of Malaysia Day, Musa threw in a surprise decision not defend his supreme council position in Umno and also turned down calls for him to contest one of the three vice president slots in the party.
Many Sabah Umno leaders were taken aback by Musa statement as most of the stare Umno leaders were pushing for him to contest the vice president position.
Sabah Umno deputy chairman Datuk Salleh Tun Said said that they accepted Musa’s decision to stay out of the race after he explained to them his reasons.
“We believe doing it in the interest of the state,’’ said Salleh, who refused indicate if he might be going for a supreme council position during the party polls.
Sabah Barisan Nasional secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that Musa should reconsider his decision and consider defending his supreme council position.
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