IT will be high noon for Umno in Sabah today as the party chief is expected to bring down the curtain on the party which has been in the state for more than two decades.
Sources told The Malaysian Insight that Umno Sabah chief Hajiji Mohd Noor will announce the defection of a slate of state leaders from the lynchpin Barisan Nasional party at a top hotel in Kota Kinabalu this afternoon.
Apart from announcing the departure of the four members of parliament, Hajiji, the Sulaman assemblymen, will announce that nine assemblymen are also quitting Umno.
“He will also announce that two senators will leave Umno and two-thirds of its division chiefs will quit the party,” sources told The Malaysian Insight.
Sabah Umno has 25 divisions.
The move effectively cripples Sabah Umno and it will no longer be effective as a political force as most of its leaders would be gone.
“It will be a shell of a party. It may not be dissolved but it will be good as finished,” said a source.
In the May general election, Sabah Umno only managed to win eight of the state’s 26 parliamentary seats.
Currently, Sabah Umno counts five as those in its ranks but four federal lawmakers will dump the party today.
The four are Abd Rahim Bakri (Kudat), Azizah Mohd Dun (Beaufort), Ronald Kiandee (Beluran) and Zakaria Mohd Edris (Libraran).
However, its colourful Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin is staying put.
Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa yesterday confirmed that some of his Sabah party men wanted out as they could not cope with the financial strain brought about by constituents’ demands after Umno ceased to be the ruling party in state.
The party is unable to help them out as it, too, is cash strapped after its accounts were frozen.
However, Annuar said the state chapter could not dissolve itself as that was a decision to be made by the Umno Supreme Council.
Kimanis MP Anifah Aman and Labuan MP Rozman Isli left Umno in September and October respectively.
Yamani Hafez Musa, the son of former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman and Sipitang MP, has yet to take his oath of office and has until January 15 to do so if he wishes to keep the seat.
Apart from himself, Hajiji will announce the departure of Masidi Manjun (Karanaan), Rahim Ismail (Pantai Manis), Japlin Akim (Usukan), Mohd Ariffin Mohd Arif (Membakut), Jamli (Tampasuk), Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan (Apas), Isnin Aliasnih (Klias) and Jusli Ajirul (Gum-Gum).
“All of them are expected to become independents for now. Either they will join Warisan or look at linking up with Bersatu in the coming days,” said another source.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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