Sabah deputy chief minister Shahelmey Yahya is weighing the possibility of contesting under Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the upcoming state election, with his chances of standing again as a Barisan Nasional candidate possibly over.
Shahelmey, who currently holds the Tanjung Keramat seat, said his decision would ultimately hinge on feedback from voters in the constituency.
“I need to listen to the people in the area because they are the ones who will be voting. There is also the local machinery whose views I must consider.
“If the feedback is convincing, then we will make a decision,” he told FMT when met at the Parliament building.
GRS chairman Hajiji Noor had earlier expressed confidence that Shahelmey could defend the seat under the coalition’s banner. Shahelmey first won Tanjung Keramat on a BN ticket in 2020.
However, his ties with BN have soured since March 2023, when Umno suspended him for six years for refusing to support the party’s move to topple Hajiji.
The rift widened last year after Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin named Sabah Umno election director Jeffrey Noh as the coalition’s candidate for Tanjung Keramat, effectively sidelining Shahelmey.
“(It’s as if) the door has closed,” Shahelmey said of his BN prospects.
He said there had been no discussions with Sabah BN or coalition chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi regarding his candidacy.
Shahelmey said his decision on whether to contest on a GRS ticket was further complicated by his position as Umno‘s Putatan MP.
Under the anti-hopping law, he risks losing his parliamentary seat if he contests under a party other than BN as he won Putatan on a BN ticket in the 15th general election.
“That matter is quite technical. I will make a decision later,” he said, without elaborating.
