Sabah Umno must accept reality
Published on: Thu, Jun 05, 2025
By: Lagatah Toyos Text Size: Nizam said Umno still cannot accept the fact that within a coalition of political parties, the party with the highest number of seats has the priority to lead the coalition. TAWAU: Sabah Umno needs to accept the reality that it is no longer the political 'big brother' as it continues to lose support both nationally and in Sabah where the people are tired of the same old script, said Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Information Chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan. He said the current Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government has chosen to look forward by forging a strategic partnership with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to ensure post-GE15 stability and in preparation for the 17th State Election (PRN17). 'Ultimately, real power does not lie in the hands of any individual, party, or propaganda — but in the hands of the people… Let the people of Sabah judge who is truly working and who is merely acting,' he said, in a statement, Wednesday. The Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister said he read with interest the remarks by Kota Kinabalu Umno Division Chief and Umno Women's Exco member Musliati Moslimin, who claimed that Umno is not a 'political tool,' not a 'script filler' and not a 'buyer of false promises.' Ironically, he said, such statements come from a party with a long history of writing political scripts full of loopholes — including in Sabah. Nizam said during the 2020 Sabah state election, history clearly showed who actually violated agreements and moral principles when, just two days before nomination day, Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) had agreed to contest 27 seats. 'However, when the time came, they contested 41 seats, which was not only a breach of understanding but also caused confusion and early cracks in the coalition. 'If they want to talk about 'dignity' and 'betrayal,' Umno should first reflect on its own historical record,' he said. Nizam, also Apas Assemblyman, said Umno still cannot accept the fact that within a coalition of political parties, the party with the highest number of seats has the priority to lead the coalition. He said GRS, which Musliati labelled as a coalition of 'splinter parties,' managed to secure the highest number of seats and therefore had the right to choose the Sabah Chief Minister—something that is not a betrayal, but the foundation of real democracy. 'Even more surprising is that Musliati did not mention the 'Kinabalu Move' incident in January 2023, when several Umno leaders, including Datuk Bung Moktar Radin, were involved in an attempt to overthrow the existing government,' he said. According to him, the actions of Bung and several other Umno leaders not only threatened the State's stability but also gambled with the people's mandate. Therefore, he said, their removal from the State Cabinet and positions in agencies was the Chief Minister's prerogative in order to safeguard the State's stability and interests. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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