KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya’s chances of getting to defend his Tanjung Keramat seat under the Barisan Nasional banner will be decided by Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, says Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said it was up to Bung to make the decision whether to re-field Shahelmey who has been suspended for defying the state Umno’s decision to withdraw support for the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in 2023.
Shahelmey, in recent months, disputed his suspension order, claiming that he had never received a letter of suspension and that he was informed by staff at the Umno headquarters that there was no suspension against him.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of the Karambunai Umno election machinery, Ahmad Zahid reconfirmed that Shahelmey had been suspended by the supreme council.
Shahelmey, who is also Putatan MP, will be forced to vacate his parliamentary seat under the anti-hopping law if he decides to defend Tanjung Keramat on another party’s ticket.
During the launch, some Pakatan Harapan members had also participated in a show of support.
Other than Shahelmey, Umno’s Kalabakan MP Datuk Andy Muhammad Suryady Bandy, was suspended by the supreme council after the failed coup against Hajiji in January 2023.
Andy, who is also Tanjung Batu assemblyman, chose to remain with GRS during the coup attempt.
