Come campaign for Barisan in Libaran, Bung Moktar tells Musa after ex-CM bats for allies

PITAS, Sept 18 — Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Bung Moktar Radin hopes his predecessor Tan Sri Musa Aman will join the Umno campaign trail and show as much enthusiastic support for its Libaran candidate as he did for their Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) partners in the state election.

Bung Moktar, who is leading the BN election campaign commended former Sabah chief minister Musa for stumping for allies Parti Pribumi Bersatu Sabah (Bersatu) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) despite being excluded as a candidate this time round.

“I expect maybe Musa may also campaign for Umno soon. Maybe not today or the day after tomorrow, but soon. I hope so. Maybe he will campaign for the Libaran candidate because he is the former Libaran leader, and our former chief minister,” the Kinabatangan MP said on the campaign trail here today.

Bung Moktar said he received word that Musa will be heading to Libaran, which is situated on the Sabah east coast nearer Sandakan, the biggest city in the north Borneo state after Kota Kinabalu.

“So that will be good news. Come and campaign for BN in Libaran. I welcome him,” Bung Moktar said of Musa.

Musa, the Sungai Sibuga incumbent assemblyman, has been at odds with the federal Umno leadership since his attempt to wrest control of the Sabah government from Warisan through several crossovers failed, culminating in the dissolution of the assembly.

Subsequent to the announcement of the state election, Musa took to Facebook to announce he would run for the new Sungai Manila seat. His announcement appeared premature when his name was left out of the BN candidate line-up for Election 2020.

Bung Moktar claimed he had not received an application to contest from Musa prior to the candidate announcement.

Musa has kept a low profile after that, but surprised many when he appeared in Beaufort yesterday at a function attended by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Bersatu president.

Today, Musa appeared in Tuaran and urged voters to support the GRS aligned candidates in Kiulu and Tamparuli, where PBS is contesting.

However, the former chief minister from 2003 to 2018 demurred when asked which party he is now supporting.