KOTA KINABALU, Aug 22 — Sabah Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said he was not offended or disheartened by criticism by several state party leaders who disagreed with his appointment as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) election director in the upcoming State Election (PRN).

He said that any views of party members must be respected and handled wisely, especially now that Umno is preparing for the Sabah PRN on September 26.

“We respect various opinions. No hard feelings. We have to be wise to handle these issues as we are in a battle. In war, we cannot afford to make mistakes,” he said in a press conference after chairing a party meeting at the Sabah Umno building, here.

On Tuesday, a group of state Umno leaders, led by Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, urged party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to reconsider his decision to appoint Bung Moktar, who is currently facing corruption charges, to lead the party’s state election machinery.

Speaking further, Bung Moktar, who is also the Kinabatangan MP, said that even though he did not deny that the actions of the leaders have indirectly affected the party, he remains optimistic that they still had time to rectify the situation before the election.

Bung Moktar said that he will continue to focus on ensuring that the Sabah BN election machinery runs smoothly at all divisions.

He also announced that Kimanis MP Datuk Mohamad Alamin was appointed as the election machinery operations director and Umno would use the BN flag and logo during the election.

In a related development, Bung Moktar said that the negotiations on seats are currently being discussed with other BN component parties and would be finalised by the end of this month.

— Bernama