KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno is firm in its stance that those who defected or aligned themselves with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will not be fielded in the coming state election.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the party would field candidates who are loyal and focused on serving the people and state's needs, not those with personal agendas.
The party had taken steps to strengthen itself after those leaders defied the party line and supported GRS, he told reporters after a Sabah Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year walkabout at the Sunday Gaya Street Fair here on Sunday (Jan 26).
Bung Moktar gave an assurance that the right candidates who would not shift loyalties had been identified.
He was referring to suspended assemblymen Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, who is currently Deputy Chief Minister III, and Andi Muhammad Suryandy Bandy, who continued to back Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor when Sabah Barisan pulled out of the coalition in January 2023.
Shahelmey, the Tanjung Keramat assemblyman and Putatan MP, has said he is preparing to defend his seat but it is still not clear if he was planning to contest on a Barisan or GRS ticket.
He added that he would reveal details when the time is right.
"For now, I am contesting," he said during a Chinese New Year walkabout with his constituents in Putatan on Sunday.
If he decides to contest on a GRS ticket, he will have to quit the Putatan parliamentary seat to conform with the anti-hopping law.
Bung Moktar had previously named Sabah Umno election director Jeffrey Noh as a candidate for the Tanjung Keramat seat.
On Chinese seats, he said no decision had been made yet.
"There is a possibility (Sabah Barisan) will put up candidates," he said during the walkabout with Sabah MCA chairman Datuk Teah Heok Kuin and other state Barisan leaders and members.
Sabah Barisan, which has repeatedly stated that it is not keen to forge any political alliance with GRS, is widely seen as forming an electoral pact with Sabah Pakatan in line with the federal unity government.
Bung Moktar said Sabah Barisan remains focused on uniting everyone irrespective of ethnicity or religion with a clear focus on serving everyone and the state if given the mandate in the next election.
