Bung is new Sabah Umno chief, Yakub is his deputy

KUALA LUMPUR: Supreme council member Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has been appointed Sabah Umno chief as the party plans to stay afloat in the state.

Sepanggar Umno deputy head Datuk Yakub Khan has been made the deputy state chief, while Datuk Jeffri Ariffin is now Sabah Umno secretary.

Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party also had a replacement plan for the division level, which would be done according to the party’s constitution.

He said the mass exodus of lawmakers and division leaders from Sabah Umno was “expected” and would not weaken the party.

“Umno will continue to defend the state,” he told a press conference yesterday.

 

 

Asked if more were expected to leave, Dr Ahmad Zahid admitted that there could be: “Politics is not static. Anything is possible.”

Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin tweeted that there was an elite faction masterminding the exodus.

“There is a bangsawan (elite) faction that is leading the charge to trigger mass defections,” he wrote.

An online portal reported that party sources were pointing to former vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

But the Sembrong MP in a Facebook posting wrote: “In respect of recent developments in Sabah, I again find myself obliged to say that I am not in any way instrumental in them deciding to leave the party.”

Sources said those who quit Umno also concurred, saying they left because of “practical reasons”.

“We needed to break away and we have yet to decide which party to join. For now, we want to be free from Umno.”

Supreme council member Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the mass resignation signalled something was not right with the party.

“Umno has failed to read or understand the uniqueness of Sabah politics post-GE14. I’m not surprised by their action,” he added.

Sabah Umno youth chief Abdul Aziz Zulkarnain, the lone leader who stayed away from the exodus, said the others left because they did not trust Dr Ahmad Zahid.