PETALING JAYA: Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin claims that chief minister Hajiji Noor’s new Cabinet is not the unity state government that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wanted to see.
In a statement, Bung also said the two Umno assemblymen who were included in Hajiji’s Cabinet did not represent the party and were not recognised by Sabah Umno.
The former Sabah deputy chief minister said he will raise the matter with Umno’s disciplinary board and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“Hajiji cannot say (they are representing Umno) or recognise them as representing the party in his Cabinet line-up,” he said, referring to newly appointed deputy chief minister and works minister Shahelmey Yahya, and community development and people’s wellbeing minister James Ratib.
Nonetheless, Bung said, Sabah Umno was ready to be in the opposition and play its role as check and balance against the state administration effectively.
He urged Hajiji to be fair to his Cabinet colleagues and not directly interfere with the running of their ministries.
He also said Umno has yet to decide the fate of five of its Sabah assemblymen who refused to be part of the move to oust Hajiji.
The five are Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Jasni Daya (Pantai Dalit), James Ratib (Sugut), Yusof Yacob (Sindumin) and Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk).
Bung Moktar Radin announced that the state chapter was retracting its support for Hajiji as chief minister for infringing the terms of a political agreement between them after the 2020 Sabah state election.
The move was to bring Warisan president Shafie Apdal into power as chief minister, with Bung as his deputy, and former federal minister Salleh Said Keruak as the finance minister.
On Sunday, Hajiji said he had the support of 44 assemblymen, including the five Umno elected representatives.
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