Suspended Umno member Shahelmey Yahya says he is still weighing whether to seek re-election as a Sabah state assemblyman or remain as MP for Putatan.
Shahelmey, a state minister in the caretaker cabinet, said he had taken note of a warning by Umno of legal action and a RM100 million fine on party members who contest the state assembly elections next month on a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ticket.
Shahelmey was suspended by Umno in 2023 after failing to back the party’s attempted coup against chief minister Hajiji Noor.
“I’m still considering my political direction,” he said in Putatan today, Sinar Harian reported. “Nomination day is around three weeks from now, so there is still plenty of time to decide.
“What’s important is that any decision made must be for the public good, based on their mandate,” he was quoted as saying.
Should Shahelmey be fielded by GRS as a candidate in the state elections, he may have to forfeit his parliamentary seat under the anti-hopping law, having been elected in Tanjung Keramat in 2020 on a Barisan Nasional ticket.
He previously told FMT he was considering taking part in the coming elections, but said that it would depend on seat negotiations among the GRS coalition partners.
On Oct 11, Hajiji also revealed that Shahelmey and Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, who had also been suspended by Umno, have expressed interest in representing the coalition or contesting under its ticket.
