‘Umno not beggars, we are kingmakers’: Lahad Datu Umno chief asserts party’s decisive role in Sabah govt formation

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 2 — Sabah Umno should not be treated as a junior partner or “beggar” in the formation of the new state government, as the party holds the decisive numbers to determine who governs Sabah, said its Lahad Datu division chief Sharif Musa Sharif Mabul.

He said Umno’s six seats have placed the party squarely in the position of kingmaker in the aftermath of the state election — and warned its partners and rivals alike against dismissing the party’s role.

“We are not beggars. We are the kingmaker, and we sympathise with the difficult process of forming the government today.

“Don’t flog BN until the cane breaks. We may not have a cane, but we have roots — and they hurt just the same when used to whip someone else,” he said, criticising the online attacks directed at Umno since Barisan Nasional (BN) was brought into the GRS-led administration.

Social media platforms are rife with unhappiness over BN’s inclusion into the Cabinet after last weekend’s polls results a heavy lean towards local-based parties.

The unhappiness also temporarily extended to GRS assemblymen and other grassroots citing the government had enough numbers to make majority without BN.

He said all political blocs needed BN’s support to form a government, adding that the coalition’s six seats were now the “stability anchor” for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s new administration.

“These six BN seats can form the government with anyone. They can even form the government with Warisan as an alternative. BN can decide the government today with whichever side it chooses — we are the kingmaker,” he said.

The leader also suggested that GRS’s inclusion of BN was driven by necessity, not preference.

“I don’t think Hajiji would be working with BN if he had enough seats to form the government on his own,” he said.

He urged political leaders to stop portraying Umno and BN as desperate or dependent when the numbers clearly showed the opposite.

Hajiji was sworn in as chief minister at 3.05am Sunday morning, just as final polling results completed. It was unclear then who made up his majority.

BN holds six assembly seats out of 45 that it contested while PH won one seat out of 21 that it contested.

GRS was the biggest bloc with 29, followed by Parti Warisan with 25. 

Upko won three seats, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku won two, Parti Kesejahteraan Rakyat Malaysia won one, and five independent candidates won a seat each.