Central UMNO to continue to stand by Sabah UMNO - Ahmad Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today stressed that Central UMNO will continue to stand by the Sabah UMNO leadership, despite the political uncertainty in the state.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Central UMNO will also always support the leadership strategy of Sabah UMNO, led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.

According to Ahmad Zahid, who is also the chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN), Sabah and Sarawak are strategic political partners, so in any form of government in the present and future, UMNO will still choose to stick together with political partners from both regions, for the sake of national stability.

"Despite what has happened recently in Sabah, I want to make an affirmation that Central UMNO will continue to stand by the Sabah UMNO," said Ahmad Zahid in his policy speech at the 2022 UMNO General Assembly at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre here today, which was attended by 2,820 delegates.

On Jan 11, Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, announced the reshuffle of the Sabah state Cabinet which saw the president of the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, appointed as Deputy Chief Minister I to replace Bung Moktar, who is also Sabah BN chairman.

Five days earlier, on Jan 6, Bung Moktar announced the stance of UMNO and Sabah BN to withdraw support for Hajiji, following a loss of confidence in his position as Chief Minister, and the agreement between BN and Perikatan Nasional having been violated.

-- BERNAMA