Autonomy for Sabah Umno soon, says Zahid
Published on: Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Umno will be granted autonomy soon in line with its move to form a new Opposition bloc in the State, Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Tuesday.He said Sabah Umno had requested for autonomy from the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin party in a memorandum at a meeting Tuesday. Zahid said the party will officially endorse it at an extraordinary general meeting on Sept 29."Autonomy will be given to them. Umno in Sabah will stay and I think the coalition they are planning will take place when we endorse it at the national level," the former Deputy Prime Minister told reporters.ADVERTISEMENT "We will announce something crucial for Umno Sabah after the supreme council endorses their request," he said after a meeting with Umno Secretary-General Tan Sri Annuar Musa and Sabah Umno Liaison Chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, among others.Zahid said the party will have to formalise the State Umno's request and include it into the party's constitution soon.The details of their understanding with the new Opposition coalition will also be ironed out by then.After the May 9 polls and the shocking defeat of BN, Sabah Umno had announced it would be joining other State-based parties like Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) and other BN remnants in a new Opposition coalition.ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, Sabah Umno welcomed the autonomy given by the party's supreme leadership.State Umno Liaison Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the autonomy was another milestone in the history of Sabah Umno.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It is the fruit of our struggles and in line with our effort to reinvent Sabah Umno. Sabah Umno will become 'localised' through the granting of autonomy," he said in a statement, Tuesday. Hajiji said the autonomy is important for the future survival of Umno in the peninsula and also in Sabah."It is meant to help Sabah Umno counter the manipulation by our opponents at the State-level which labelled Sabah Umno as an 'imported party' or 'Malaya party', "he said. He said with the autonomy, Sabah Umno will decide on its own, including in choosing its top leader and so on.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
Hajiji, who is also Sulaman Assemblyman, hoped friends in the opposition bloc would understand the changes to take place in Sabah Umno struggles following the given autonomy. With the given autonomy, he said, Sabah Umno will decide on its own core struggles in line with the sentiments in Sabah. "The community in Sabah has the tendency to want to be referred to with their respective race identity and not as "Malay"...so with its autonomy, Sabah Umno has its very own core struggles to suit the sentiments in Sabah that is to fight for the rights and interests of the natives, Bumiputeras and Sabah.