LAHAD DATU: UMNO has been into existencee in Sabah for 33 years, and generally during this period, the presence of UMNO has been accepted by various ethnic groups in the state.
The Treasurer of UMNO Malaysia Women, Datin Maizatul Akmam Alawi, said that the membership of UMNO in Sabah has been diverse from the beginning until now, consisting of various ethnicities, including some Sino-Kadazan groups, and leading several UMNO divisions in Sabah.
“This clearly shows that UMNO is accepted by various ethnic groups in Sabah and there is no issue of UMNO practicing racist culture and being labeled as an extremist party as alleged by some individuals in the state,” she said after the Kembara Ramadan Ziarah Kasih program in the villages of Damai and Sharif near here on Sunday.
Maizatul, who is also the Lahad Datu UMNO vice chief made these remarks when asked to comment on the statement made by former State Assemblyman (ADUN) Petagad Datuk James Ligunjang recently, linking the KK Mart case to UMNO and labeling it as an extremist party, urging the people of Sabah to reject the party.
“In issues of insulting and mocking Islam, including the case of selling stockings with the word Allah, UMNO will certainly not compromise with anyone who mocks Islam. However, in the KK Mart case, all parties have left it to the security authorities to take action, so everyone should stop making statements and provocations linking UMNO as an extremist party that could affect the harmony of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious society,” she said.
Maizatul added that the various ethnic and non-Muslim groups in this state are increasingly confident in the ability of UMNO/BN to bring prosperity to the people, and they are becoming more mature and no longer doubt UMNO compared to its early days in Sabah.
“This is why some parties are not happy with spreading various negative assumptions about UMNO in order to tarnish its image and strength in the state,” he added.