PUTATAN: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor confirmed today that his deputy, Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, would be joining his team for the upcoming 17th Sabah state election (PRN17).
“He will follow siurang (us),” Hajiji said when asked about Shahelmey’s status.
Despite his six-year suspension from Umno Sabah in 2023, Shahelmey is still regarded as part of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN), according to Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
The term siurang, a local Sabahan expression meaning “us”, refers to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which Hajiji leads.
Bung Moktar has repeatedly said that Umno would not nominate Shahelmey again following his decision to support Hajiji and the GRS government in January 2023, after Sabah Umno withdrew its support for the chief minister.
Speaking after attending the Youth Programme for Tanjung Aru, Petagas and Tanjung Keramat this afternoon, Hajiji expressed confidence that GRS could capture all three state seats in the Putatan parliamentary constituency in PRN17.
He also voiced confidence in Shahelmey, who is also the Putatan MP, to defend the Tanjung Keramat seat, which he won under a BN ticket during the 16th state election (PRN16) in September 2020.
“It will not be difficult… he will surely win. He is still the assemblyman, and he is also the member of parliament,” Hajiji said.
Shahelmey, however, risks losing his eligibility as Putatan MP if he contests under a GRS ticket in PRN17 due to the anti-hopping law, as the parliamentary seat was won under a BN ticket in the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022.
Earlier in his speech, Hajiji, who is also GRS chairman, said the coalition could secure all three state seats in Putatan if the people remain united in supporting the government.
“Putatan is fortunate to have a deputy chief minister and elected representatives who actively serve the people. God willing, in this election GRS will take all three state seats. The people of Putatan must unite to ensure this good government is returned,” he said.
Currently, the Tanjung Aru state seat is held by opposition party Warisan, while Petagas and Tanjung Keramat are aligned with GRS. In PRN16, Petagas was also won by Warisan, but its assemblyman Datuk Awang Ahmad Sah Sahari quit the party in February 2023 to join Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), a GRS component party.
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