SABAH UMNO CASUALTY EYES OPPOSITION

CONTEST.....Will more Sabah incumbents who were dropped seek to contest?

By : FMT STAFF

KUALA LUMPUR: Dropped Sabah Umno parliamentarian Salleh Salbi is apparently making overtures to the opposition. Salleh, who was a one-term Silam MP, was not on the list of incumbents retained by Umno to contest in the 13th general election.

Sources claimed that Salleh wanted to defend his seat and was now looking for a vehicle. He is willing to do so on an opposition ticket.

Quoting an unnamed aide to Salleh, online portal Borneo Insider said Salleh had already sent out feelers to PKR and Sabah Progressive People’s Party (SAPP).

“Salleh was very disappointed at being dropped as he had worked tirelessly throughout the constituency for the term.

“It is without doubt that he [Salleh] had done quite a bit in his one-year term as MP and he deserved to have been given a second go; instead, a less hard-working person has got the job,” said the aide.

Yesterday, Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Musa Aman announced Nasrun Mansur to replace him. Nasrun is the former Lahad Datu assemblyman.

According to the aide, Nasrun was not a “good choice” and would have lost even if they had fielded him in Lahad Datu, what more in Silam.

“Lot of people [in Lahad Datu] are upset with him,” said the aide.

According to the aide, Salleh’s first choice of an opposition platform is SAPP.

“We are talking to our SAPP contacts and hopefully SAPP will take him in. Otherwise, he would try his luck with PKR,” said the aide.