Five Sabah BN assemblymen pledge support for Hajiji as CM

KOTA KINABALU: Five Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen today pledged their undivided support for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as Sabah Chief Minister.

The five state assemblymen are Community Development and People's Welfare Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), Assistant Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Datuk James Ratib (Sugut), Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (Sindumin) and Datuk Mohd Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk).

The five said in a joint statement today that this was not the time to grab political power, but a time to be united so that the state government and all parties could continue to focus their time, energy and resources to revive and develop the state's economy as well as improve the people's living standard.

As such, they strongly condemned Sabah BN's decision to withdraw support for the state government and urged Sabah UMNO liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin to resign because his actions had tarnished the image of the party.

"We express our dismay and regret that Sabah and its people have again been dragged into the political crisis by irresponsible parties," the statement added.

The assemblymen said that in line with the aspirations of the people of Sabah, they too want political stability and reject any attempt or action by any party that wants to cause chaos and unrest among the people.

Yesterday, Bung Moktar announced that UMNO and Sabah BN were withdrawing support for Hajiji as they had lost confidence in the latter's position as Chief Minister and that there was a breach of an agreement between BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Bung Moktar said BN and PN implemented an agreement to form the Sabah government after the state election in 2020, but Hajiji and other leaders of Sabah Bersatu, which is also a component of PN, left the party, causing the current state government to lose its legitimacy.

The Sabah state assembly has 79 assemblymen - 73 of whom were elected and six appointed. Twenty-nine of them are from GRS, Parti Warisan (19), BN (18), Pakatan Harapan (seven), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (three), while PAS and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah have one, along with a solitary independent.

Meanwhile, Jasnih, when contacted, said the current Sabah government under the leadership of Hajiji needs to be given the opportunity to complete its term of administration in 2025 to enable the plans being implemented to be completed.

Yusof, meanwhile, said Sabah BN's action in withdrawing its support from the state government would affect efforts to restore the image of Sabah BN and UMNO in the eyes of the people following the results of the 15th general election (GE15).

"We do not want Sabah BN and UMNO leaders to be seen as troublemakers by the people, who are tired of this politics. The people want a stable government that can overcome rising commodity prices, improve the economy and increase job opportunities," he said.

-- BERNAMA