Sabah Umno urges grassroots to brace for state election

Sabah Umno election director Jeffery Nor Mohamed briefing party division leaders to be prepared for state election.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno is urging its grassroots members to make early preparations for an upcoming state election due to the strained relationship between the party and the governing Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Sabah Umno election director Jeffery Nor Mohamed said the party could expect “challenges”, especially with recent statements by Hajiji, who is the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) president, who claimed that it was ready to win certain state and parliamentary seats held by Umno.

Jeffery said that such statements were a clear indication that cooperation between GRS-Gagasan Rakyat and Sabah Umno was becoming unsustainable.

As such, he said it was important for Sabah Umno to be prepared if a state election was called before its term ended in September 2025.

“At no point have we made any statement against Gagasan Rakyat, not even a single official word criticising it. This is because we respect the unity government.

“This is a challenge and Sabah Umno needs to take it up because the statements issued by some Gagasan Rakyat leaders prove that it is very difficult to forge cooperation between Gagasan Rakyat and Umno-Barisan Nasional,” he said.

On July 8, Hajiji was reported to have said that Gagasan Rakyat had identified the Lamag and Sukau state constituencies as must-win seats.

Lamag is held by Sabah Barisan-Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin with Sukau is held by Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Jafry Ariffin.

Relations between Hajiji and Bung soured after the failed political coup to topple the former in January, with some Barisan elected representatives remaining aligned with Hajiji.

Jeffrey said Sabah Umno would work closely with parties under the national unity government that were sincere in their cooperation.

“I say there is no problem for Umno because we are a political organisation that is structured at the central, state, divisional and branch levels.”