SANDAKAN: There is no issue of disunity within Sabah UMNO when it comes to deciding on collaboration with other parties for the upcoming 17th State Election (PRN17), said Sabah UMNO election Director, Jeffrey Nor Mohamed.
He said that this matter is still at the preliminary discussion stage, not yet finalised, and any proposals regarding cooperation with other parties have not been submitted to the BN central leadership for discussion.
Jeffrey, who is also the Putatan UMNO chief, finds it strange and puzzling that someone who is not a politician and not a member of UMNO/BN is more knowledgeable about the current situation of UMNO and Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN), which is alleged to be divided into two groups in determining cooperation with other parties to face PRN17.
He claims that despite being a political analyst, not all of his writings and perspectives on the current political situation in Sabah are reliable. This is due to the lack of factual basis and the evident bias towards a particular side in his work.
Jeffrey made these comments in response to the views of a political analyst that appeared on the FMT News Portal today and mentioned that the top leadership of BN might be forced to intervene in order to reduce conflicts between the two factions within UMNO Sabah regarding the direction of the upcoming state election.
Jeffrey said the political analyst concerned seemed to know more about the political situation in Sabah than the Umno/BN leaders, even though his views are prejudiced and lack factual evidence, reflecting his shallow understanding and analysis of the actual political issues in Sabah.
“I would like to correct the facts that the autonomous power lies with Umno Sabah, not BN Sabah, so any decisions involving BN will be made by the central leadership of BN,” he said.
Jeffery added that although the cooperation between Umno/BN and other parties to face the upcoming PRN17 has not been finalised, “GRS has already become anxious and worried when it comes to cooperation”, and they are forced to use various means to win the minds and hearts of the people.
Jeffery emphasised that there is no concern about Sabah UMNO facing a division because of the alleged power takeover or the “Langkah Kinabalu” issue, as there is no proof of signatures (SD) being submitted to the Governor (TYT) as was claimed in 2020 during the failed attempt led by Tan Sri Musa Aman and mostly supported by current GRS leaders to overthrow the Warisan government.
Jeffrey clarified that despite the ‘Langkah Kinabalu’ allegations, Sabah UMNO continues to stand firm.
Those Umno leaders who disregard the unanimous decision of Sabah Umno to withdraw support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Nor, and instead prioritize their personal interests over the principles of the struggle, do not reflect the division within Umno Sabah, he said.
Furthermore, Jeffrey also commented on the views of Oh Ei Sun from the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, who stated that the federal BN’s interference reflects their reluctance to cooperate with Warisan, which he described as a splinter party of Sabah Umno.
There is no hesitation or interference from the BN central leadership regarding Umno/BN Sabah’s collaboration with other parties to face PRN17.
“We are currently at the discussion stage and there have been no final decisions or proposals submitted to the BN central leadership.
However, Umno/BN Sabah is confident that any proposals submitted to the BN central leadership will be given due consideration based on the current political scenario in the state,” explained Jeffrey.
