Standby vehicle for Sabah Umno?
Published on: Friday, November 30, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: United Sabah National Organisation (Usno Baru) elected a new party president on Thursday, ending five years of limbo due to an internal squabble.The two-hour meeting was chaired by party protem president Dulli Tiaseh following a notice from the Registrar of Societies stating that it must be held within a month effective Nov 7.Ten out of the 13 original protem committee members attended the meeting which saw Dulli losing to Ibrahim Linggam for the top post.
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Dulli only got two votes against eight for Ibrahim."We're glad it's all over. Now it's a new beginning for us and soon we will start to go to the ground to recruit members," Ibrahim told reporters after the meeting.He said the meeting, party election and appointment of committee members was held in compliance with RoS regulations.Usno Baru was one of 20 new political parties nationwide approved by the RoS in 2013. But its legal status had been in limbo due to an internal squabble then over who among three of its leaders should be president.
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Pending the final decision from RoS, the party was prohibited from carrying out any activity.According to Ibrahim, the party is neither pro government nor opposition.
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"At the moment, we're neutral. Our focus at the moment is to put our house in order. We will be calling our first supreme council meeting soon to discuss where we stand and what would be our direction," he said.However, unlike the original Usno which catered for the State's Muslim natives, Ibrahim said Usno Baru is a multi-racial party.The old Usno, founded by Sabah's third Chief Minister Tun Datu Mustapha Harun, was deregistered by the RoS in 1996. The party ruled the state from 1967 until 1975 when it was defeated by Berjaya in the state election.Newly appointed party deputy president Leong Chan Chu, who was a supreme council member in the old Usno, believes it would be well acacepted by people in Sabah."It's because Usno is synonymous with Sabah's independence. So, I call on all the old Usno symphatisers, even if they are now sitting on the fence, to come and join our struggle," she said.There have been claims that Usno Baru will be a new political vehicle for Umno leaders and members in the state amid talks that the Malay-based national party could possibly be deregistered in the wake of its accounts being frozen and its leaders being investigated.Besides, many of the Umno leaders and members in the state had previously been in the old Usno. There have also been claims that leaders from both sides had met on several occasions.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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