A Parti Bersatu Sabah leader has challenged Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin to exercise the state chapter’s autonomy by officially declaring that Barisan Nasional will contest the upcoming Sabah election solo.
PBS vice-president Arthur Sen said Bung should not merely express a willingness to go solo in response to cooperation between Pakatan Harapan and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi previously said the party had earlier “locked in” its cooperation with PH, but Bung insisted yesterday that Sabah Umno will not work with GRS, questioning the sincerity of the coalition led by chief minister Hajiji Noor.
“Go ahead and declare you’re contesting solo, don’t just say you’re ‘ready’ to do so, and then go on to talk about ‘loyalty’, which is highly subjective.
“Is this just a bluff, or are you sulking? Or are you waiting for Zahid to persuade you?” Arthur said in a Facebook post.
He said failing to use the state chapter’s autonomy to decide whether to cooperate with any coalition or go solo would show that Bung lacks authority, let alone the capacity to fight for the rights of Sabahans.
Yesterday, Bung said Sabah Umno was prepared to go solo in the upcoming state election after GRS announced its electoral pact with PH.
He described the GRS-PH alliance as a “panic pact” and stressed that Sabah Umno would not work with dishonest and insincere groups.
The state assembly’s five-year term expires on Nov 11 unless it is dissolved earlier to make way for a fresh election.
