Umno supreme council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan said while he respected the decision of the seven, their departure will not disrupt polls preparations in the Sepanggar parliamentary seat, where he is tipped to stand.
The same goes for the preparations in Sepanggar’s state constituencies of Inanam and Karambunai, he added.
“Bigger names have left Umno and the BN previously but the party and coalition remain strong.
“Umno has weathered many challenges since its inception in 1946 … the founder of Umno Datuk Onn Jaafar also left the party to form a new one but Umno was not buried,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting representatives of the Chinese community in Inanam near here today, Abdul Rahman named seven former BN heavyweights who quit.
“They include Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin, a division chief, deputy minister and Umno supreme council member, and Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal.
“We also saw (former deputy prime minister) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and (former PM) Tun Mahathir Mohamad leaving but still Umno remains strong.
“And then there were Datuk Wilfred Bumburing (former Upko deputy president) and Datuk Yong Teck Lee (former Sabah chief minister under BN) who quit but BN is still in high spirits,” he said.
The seven in Sepanggar, led by Azhar Matussin, resigned their party posts on Sunday in protest against the anticipated replacement of incumbent Sepanggar MP Jumat Ramli as the BN candidate for the constituency in GE14.
Azhar said the recommendation by Sepanggar Umno division acting chief Yakub Khan of Abdul Rahman’s candidacy indicated there were no other suitable choices among the Umno Sepanggar ranks.
He said the seven had also lost confidence in Yakub’s leadership.
However, Abdul Rahman pointed out the seven had not quit Umno and hoped they would help the party in their capacity as ordinary members.
“I respect their decision as it is their right but we (in Umno and BN) hold to the principle that we serve the rakyat and not individuals,” he said.
Yakub said the seven had actually distanced themselves from party activities since Jumat was suspended in April 2015 following his criticism of Chief Minister Musa Aman in a Facebook post.
“They have not attended the divisional meetings and the Sepanggar Umno assembly since Jumat’s suspension,” he said.
He said the group had yet to hand in their formal resignation letters, adding he also hoped they still have it within them to fight for the party and Sabah.
Rahman Dahlan confident of Sepanggar MP’s loyalty despite suspension
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