Sabah Umno to even decide CM: Zahid
Published on: Sunday, September 22, 2019
By: Larry Ralon
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno will officially get autonomy power during the Umno General Assembly scheduled for Nov. 13, Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic), said. He said the party’s Supreme Council has decided that Sabah Umno would decide who would be the party’s candidates to contest in Sabah in the next election.
“And if we form the new governments at Putrajaya and in Sabah, the decision to appoint the Chief Minister of Sabah will also be decided by Sabah Umno.
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“We will fulfil these. They are not rhetoric but will truly become a reality because we are committed to it. We must create something new as proof to the people, by starting with ourselves first.
“It will be the first in the history of Umno to let Sabah Umno have autonomy power. It will be up to the party leaders and members at levels in Sabah to translate this special privilege that we are giving to Sabah Umno,” he said at the Sabah Umno Convention 2019 held at Sabah Umno building, here, Saturday. State Umno Chief, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his Deputy Chief, Datuk Yakub Khan, as well as its other State leaders were present. At a press conference later, he said the existence of Sabah Umno as a political entity with autonomy power would be included in the party’s constitution which would be amended during the general assembly.
Ahmad Zahid said the Sabah Umno Convention, the first to be held among the states, is part of the recognition and priority given to Sabah Umno as had been agreed upon in the previous assembly.
The convention is also meant to discuss 11 new deals to be presented to the people of Sabah, in line with the effort to rejuvenate the party and to get their support, which includes fulfilling all the promises in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).ADVERTISEMENT
All rights returned to Sabah, not nego
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KOTA KINABALU: Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Umno will ensure all the promises, the 20 Points in MA63, will be completely fulfilled when it set up the new governments at Putrajaya and in Sabah.
“This is not a question of a promise to negotiate, or a promise to fulfil.
“We will prove it, God’s willing, the time when we rule, we will give back all the rights of Sabah back to the State to the fullest, and the same for Sarawak, as both the states have very huge potentials.
“Umno Supreme leadership is very committed to this,” he said, adding it was sad to see that under the New Malaysia, the Sabah anthem was not played and the Sabah Chief Minister was also not allowed to deliver a speech during the recent Malaysia Day celebration in Kuching.
The rest of the new deals, which four were touched by Ahmad Zahid in his speech and another seven were dished out by Bung Moktar in his policy speech, will be announced by the State Umno leadership later on, after they were finalised.
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On the absence of former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman, who is Sibuga Assemblyman, at the convention, Ahmad Zahid said he (Musa) is currently on medical leave and undergoing treatment.
On whether he sees PKR President Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim being the next Prime Minister in May next year according to the Pakatan Harapan succession plan, he said that is other party’s problem and they don’t want to meddle in it.