Sabah Umno chief says other parties want to team up, but won’t rush into alliances for now
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 10 ― Having learnt lessons from previous coalitions, Sabah Umno will take its time in choosing partners for future alliances, its chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said today.
The Lamag assemblyman disclosed that there are some political parties that are interested to partner Umno, even as speculation has yet to die down over talk of an internal strife linking it to a tie-up with Opposition Parti Warisan to wrest control from the ruling Gabungan Parti Sabah last month.
Bung said that Umno will only decide on whether or not to form an alliance with other parties after the dissolution of the Sabah Legislative Assembly.
“We will wait until after the dissolution, and Umno Sabah acknowledges that other parties are interested in joining forces, but we'll finalise all this after the dissolution and depending on the understanding, loyalty, and sincerity to fight for Sabah's future,” he said in a statement.
Bung said Sabah Umno is open to cooperation with other coalition parties based on the principle of mutual respect for agreements, which not only benefits the party but also the entire population of Sabah.
“We've learned a lot from previous coalition processes, so this aspect helps mature Umno Sabah in making any crucial decisions. Right now, Umno Sabah needs to be fortified,” he said.
Yesterday, Bung said Sabah Umno will conduct a grassroots tour across all regions of the state starting early February for this purpose.
“We prioritise the issue of the party's strength first. This tour will monitor and assess the party's strength in terms of readiness and address current issues directly with grassroots members,” he said during a meeting at the state Umno headquarters yesterday.
He also dismissed talk that the visit by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to Sabah recently was to address brewing conflict within the party.
“It's a routine whenever the party president visits Sabah; he takes the opportunity to meet with Umno Sabah leaders during friendly gatherings and discuss current issues, especially the party's preparation for the upcoming state elections,” Bung said.
He urged all Umno Sabah members not to believe in the rumors of internal conflicts instigated by external parties aiming to weaken Umno's unity in the state.
“As leaders and members of Umno, we are more aware of what happens within our own house. Let's ignore the empty talk that is merely perception from the outside aimed at weakening us. Our focus is on unity and strengthening the party at all levels,” he said.
Sabah Umno was recently reported to have had a fallout with its former state government partner GRS and tried to orchestrate a coup with Warisan.
The attempt was thwarted when Pakatan Harapan agreed to support GRS along with several Umno assemblymen who jumped ship over to GRS against Umno’s stand.
As a result, Bung was dropped as deputy chief minister while other Umno leaders also lost their Cabinet and appointed positions.
At the federal level, Umno and GRS are working alongside under the same unity government.
