Warisan denies reports of 30 Semporna branch chiefs quitting party to join PPBM

SEMPORNA: Warisan has denied reports that some 30 party branch chiefs in Semporna have quit to join PPBM, FMT reported.

Semporna Warisan information chief Hasbullah Rauddah said, based on photos going around, some of the individuals claiming to have joined PPBM were actually members and former branch leaders of Umno.

While there were some in the photo who were indeed Warisan members, he said they were still with the party and had been unaware of the agenda of the meeting they attended yesterday.

“They admit that the agenda of the meeting yesterday was not clear and manipulated. It was not as what was informed through the media,” he said in a statement today.

Hasbullah maintained that the party’s strength in Semporna would remain even if it was true that some branch leaders had quit the party, as the members were still loyal to Warisan.

“We admit that there were individuals who requested to start new pro-tem-status branches. However, I stress again that they are not leaders of registered branches. If anything, they are ordinary members.”

He added that the division will be getting confirmation from the individuals involved on whether they really have left the party.

Bernama reported yesterday that 30 branch heads from Warisan here quit the party to join PPBM, with supposed Kampung Bangau-Bangau Panglima Atani Warisan chief Noorasmah Omar saying the Warisan leadership had failed to keep its promises to the people.

Noorasmah, 57, was among the 30 from Mukim Simunul and Bangau-Bangau who submitted membership forms to join PPBM to the party’s Semporna division chief, Mohd Daud Tampokong at a ceremony.