KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has reiterated that Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya’s Umno membership remains suspended.
The Sabah Umno chief stressed that the decision was not merely due to Shahelmey’s support for Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor but also for betraying the party's struggle and mandate.
“Umno, as a principled party, will not compromise with any member or leader who is disloyal to its cause. Every Umno member must recognise that party membership comes with responsibilities and discipline,” he said in a statement on Friday (Feb 28).
He added that loyalty to Umno meant adhering to the party’s policies and decisions, and any betrayal of the party’s mandate was a serious violation that could not be taken lightly.
“The Umno supreme council must take a firm stance in dealing with any member who fails to demonstrate loyalty to the party. If certain individuals seek to review their membership merely as a means to contest in elections, Umno must stand firm that the party does not need leaders who lack loyalty.”
Bung Moktar also stated that Sabah Umno remained steadfast in its position and would not endorse any leader who had betrayed the party to contest under Umno and Barisan in the upcoming elections.
“Loyalty and sincerity in the struggle are the core foundations of Umno, and those who fail to uphold them have no place under the party’s banner in the next election,” he said.
However, Shahelmey insists he remains an Umno member.
The Works Minister said a check with Umno headquarters showed that his membership was still active, contradicting Bung Moktar’s statement that he had been suspended for six years.
“My Umno membership is still active, but in Sabah, the state Umno chief has stated that I have been suspended.
“We will clarify this in due course. For now, my focus is on carrying out my duties. When the time comes for elections, then we will talk about politics,” Shahelmey said on Thursday (Feb 27) after officiating the Al-Amin Surau in Kampung Pituru, Putatan.
His suspension followed his decision to support Hajiji’s leadership in January 2023, which led to his fallout with Umno’s state leadership.
Aside from Shahelmey, another Barisan assemblyman and MP, Datuk Andy Muhammad Suryady Bandy of Tanjung Batu, has also reportedly been suspended from the party.
