KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Sabah Umno head Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has admitted that he would have left his current party for Parti Warisan Sabah if not for his belief that the party would be “directionless” once Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal steps down as president.

In an interview with Malay Mail recently, the Kinabatangan MP said that he has been, and still is being courted to leave Umno.

However, despite pledging to stay with his current party, Bung says he would still consider the repeated invitations.

“Actually they always offer me. I don’t want it yet. I didn’t say no outright. Don’t want it as yet,” he said.

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“Datuk Seri Shafie is like my big brother. We are friends from our Pemuda Umno days last time. Just that I see, Warisan is a party that is not like Umno.

“Same thing, when Shafie is no longer leading Warisan, this Warisan will be directionless. That’s why I didn’t go,” he said, adding that Umno does not have such leadership succession issues as there are many capable members.

He also predicted a similar leadership void in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) once its chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gives up his post.

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“In Warisan, I don’t see [leadership], that’s why I did not feel the calling to join my brother,” he said, referring to Shafie, adding that he has no “enmity” with him.

“Whatever decisions he make that is good, I will support.

 “I didn’t go out from Umno because I saw that the grassroots level of Umno is still very strong,” Bung added.

On December 12, Umno appointed Bung, its sole Sabah federal lawmaker, as the state's liaison committee chairman, after the party was gutted by an exodus of its other state elected representatives.

Though admitting to feeling slighted by the decision of his former Sabah Umno party comrades, Bung says he will live to fight another day.

 “At the early stage it was really very difficult. Actually I didn’t expect everybody to leave like that. I expected some. That’s why I said, Sabah Umno’s state was like sudah jatuh, ditimpa tangga,” he said, using the Malay idiom to describe the double blow from losing GE14 and the “betrayal” of his peers who chose to quit the party despite allegedly benefitting “the most”.

“Only lost for seven months and they already left the party. So for me, that’s a very bad attitude, but they are all my friends. I know them very well.

“What to do, that is the reality of life, they are out,” he said.

Bung said he is also expected to be named as the new Sabah Umno head, as he was the only one left.

However, Bung said he has never chased after positions, claiming that he had even turned down the position of Umno information chief, currently held by Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

On the restructuring of Sabah’s Umno divisions, Bung said that the process is already complete and the party is up and running.

He is also skeptical that there will be more defections from Sabah Umno members, similar to what happened last year.

“More will jump? I don’t think so, Because those who replaced those who defected are more loyal and more excited to be leaders, as they have been on the outside for a long time. Now they are part of the team.

“Is it a tough time? Of course it is very tough, because I’m holding this post after Umno and BN lost. But I see how PAS struggles. How Mat Sabu and his supporters struggled. More than 30 years,” he said, using the moniker for current Defence Minister and Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu.

“Keep on struggling then towards the end, one day, we will definitely win,” Bung added.