Sabah CM dismisses move to revive Usno

Umno, one of the pillars of the state Barisan Nasional (BN), has championed the interests of the people of Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

Unfazed by the move of a group of former leaders and loyal supporters of the defunct United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) to revive Usno, called “Usno 2006”, Musa, who is also state Umno liaison chairman, said the group was entitled to do what it wanted.

Usno was disbanded by its founder, the late Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun, just after the 1990 general election, to make way for Umno’s entry into Sabah.

“We in Sabah have Umno to serve the interests of the people...it’s up to them (to pursue the revival of Usno),” he told reporters after chairing the State Integrity Management Committee meeting at Wisma Innoprise, here, today.

Musa was asked to comment on the statement by former Usno vice-president and co-founder of Sabah Umno Datuk Karim Ghani yesterday that based on a statewide survey, the majority of former Usno leaders felt marginalised and sidelined, and wanted Usno to be revived to carry on its political struggle.

Karim was tasked by the group, led by pro-tem president of Usno 2006 Datuk Perais Sharif Baba, to gather feedback from its former members and the public on what had been achieved in Sabah over the last 20 years since Umno set foot in the state.

Perais had said that the group had appealed to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to reverse the decision to reject their application to revive Usno, called “Usno 2006”.

The appeal was submitted to the Registrar of Societies (under the home ministry) on April 23 this year.

Perais hoped the ministry would consider their appeal this time around in line with the principles of democracy and the 1 Malaysia concept. — Bernama