'Umno going solo in Sabah polls still an option'
Published on: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
By:
FMT, Nora Mahpar
Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin (centre) with party officials and supporters at the Umno command centre in Kimanis ahead of the by-election in 2020.
PETALING JAYA: Sabah Umno is still exploring the possibility of going solo in the next state election, as speculation of a possible alliance with Warisan picks up steam.
Sabah Umno information chief Suhaimi Nasir, however, said any pact with Shafie Apdal’s party would depend on how strong Umno is before the dissolution of the state assembly.
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For now, the autonomy accorded to Sabah Umno gives it the leeway to negotiate with any party, including the opposition, he said.
“But no decision has been made yet. Right now, the focus should be on strengthening Sabah Umno.
“Only then can we convince the people that the new leadership can win (elections),” he told FMT when asked about the progress of negotiations with other parties.
However, Suhaimi said if Umno was strong there would be no need for an alliance.
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In December, former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal confirmed that Warisan and Sabah Umno would work together in the next state election.
The Warisan president said Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin had already agreed to the partnership.
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Bung’s deputy, Rahman Dahlan, however, denied Shafie’s claim, saying the chapter had yet to decide on partnering with any party for the polls.
In January, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party would only decide on an electoral pact for the Sabah election after the state assembly had been dissolved, adding that it was open to an alliance with anyone.
On Sunday, Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan said the coalition’s leadership at the federal level would have the final say on whether Sabah BN would go at it alone or team up with other parties in the next Sabah polls.
Mohamad said although Sabah Umno enjoys administrative autonomy, it needed “approval from the headquarters when it concerns election matters”.
Suhaimi, however, said that Sabah Umno should have the final say on the matter.
“It’s a matter of being once bitten, twice shy,” he said, alluding to Sabah Umno’s relationship with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), the state’s ruling coalition.
“But whatever decision is made should be one that guarantees victory.”
While Umno and GRS are part of the current administration at the national level, ties have been strained at the state level following a failed coup attempt last year.
In January 2023, Sabah BN and Umno retracted their support for chief minister Hajiji Noor following attempts to oust him.
It was previously speculated that Sabah Umno and Warisan were looking to work together to form the state government.
The term of the current Sabah government will expire in October 2025, although Hajiji had hinted at the possibility of the next state election being held as early as this year.
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