Six leaders met PM in their personal capacity
Yahya says they do not represent official views of Sabah Umno
KOTA KINABALU:
The meeting six Sabah Umno leaders with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently was done, in their personal capacity. Sabah Umno Liaison Secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin said whatever discussed by the leaders and Abdullah did not represent the official views of Sabah Umno or Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN). “Whatever was voiced to the PM as done in their own capacity and not the official stand of Umno or BN here,” he said in a statement here yesterday. Yahya who is also the Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, said he was making the matter clear to avoid confusion. In his one-page statement, the Petagas Assemblyman said ie had to comment on the matter as many people asked him why the six Umno leaders met the PM to air their grouses, giving the impression that they were representing the official views of Sabah BN. “Why them? After all the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had already met the Prime Minister during the Umno meeting recently and the latter has agreed to come here to hear the views and feelings on the political situation in Sabah,” he said. “I don’t want to have any confusion. I have to make it clear that they are not official envoys and hence do not represent BN or Umno in Sabah,” he said. Yahya was referring to six State Umno leaders including two MPs and an Assemblyman who were recently invited for a breakfast meeting by the PM in Putrajaya to discuss feelings at the grassroots in Sabah. They were former Sipitang MP Datuk Dr Yusop Yacob, former Kota Belud MP Datuk Salleh Tun Said and former Tempasuk Assemblyman Tan Sri Pandikar Amin, all who were not fielded in the recent general election. The other three were Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Raden, Kalabakan MP Datuk Ghapur Salleh, who just recently resigned as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Pantai Manis Assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail who was dropped as State Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, a portfolio now held by Yahya. It was said that the PM met the leaders to find out if there was a sense of restlessness among BN leaders and the Coalition’s supporters in Sabah but all six were reluctant to reveal what transpired during the discussion. Abdul Rahim, who is Papar Umno Division Chief, only said the discussion was like a father-and-sons meeting to discuss current political situation in general. Yahya also said Sabah Umno would continue to give undivided support and cooperation to Abdullah as the BN Chairman and Umno President.
