KOTA KINABALU: Two suspended Umno assemblymen, Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya and Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, are hoping to contest under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner in the upcoming 17th Sabah state election.
Sabah Caretaker Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is also GRS chairman and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah president, said both leaders had expressed their desire to contest under GRS but that their status would be determined when the time comes.
“Their wish now is to represent or contest under the GRS ticket.
“I have no objections to that because they are both leaders. One is a minister while the other is an assistant minister,” he told reporters after officiating the Tamu Suara 360: Aspirasi Anak Muda programme at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here on Saturday (Oct 11).
Shahelmey is the caretaker Deputy Chief Minister III and State Works Minister, as well as the Putatan MP and Tanjung Keramat assemblyman. Andi is the caretaker Assistant Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister, Kalabakan MP and Tanjung Batu assemblyman.
Both were among several Umno assemblymen who withdrew support from the party in 2023 to back GRS during the alleged Langkah Kinabalu move to unseat Hajiji as Chief Minister. The others were Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (Sindumin), Datuk Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), Datuk Mohd Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk), Datuk James Ratib (Sugut) and Datuk Hamid Awang (Balung).
Shahelmey and Andi were reportedly suspended from Umno since the failed coup, with Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin stressing that the party will not re-elect them in the state elections.
The two also risk losing their MP status if they contest under the GRS banner, as this could trigger provisions of the federal anti-hopping law, since they won their parliamentary seats on the Barisan Nasional ticket.
This means that if both decide to contest in the state election under GRS, by-elections could be called simultaneously for the Putatan and Kalabakan parliamentary seats.
Separately, Andi was facing a corruption charge in the Special Corruption Court for allegedly receiving RM150,000 from a businessman in May 2023 to help secure a mineral prospecting licence. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case is ongoing with the next mention set for Oct 21, 2025.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said GRS has not decided on its candidates to be fielded in the state elections, noting that nomination day was still a long way off.
Regarding seat allocations, he said they had recently met with Pakatan Harapan (Pakatan) secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to discuss the distribution of seats for GRS and PH, and they hope to finalise the distribution.
Commenting on Pakatan's supposed demand for 20 seats or more in its electoral pact, Hajiji said it was normal for any party in a coalition to demand more seats.
However, the incumbent Sulaman assemblyman emphasised practicality, stating that GRS was targeting areas with high chances of winning to secure victory.
When asked whether being practical means that Pakatan would be allocated fewer seats than they are requesting, Hajiji said he would respond to the question at a later time.
