BUNG Moktar Radin wants a stop to the Umno blame game after the recent Sabah election and subsequent developments.

The Sabah Umno chief said those blaming leaders were playing politics to advance their own personal interests rather than the party’s.

The newly minted deputy chief minister did not, however, name any of the leaders but it is widely believed he is referring to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has come under attack since the party yielded the chief minister’s position to Bersatu.

“Please be fair, don’t disrupt the party with your personal agenda. We should move forward and build on the victory, not dwell on the result.

“Whatever bitterness is felt (in the party), it is Umno Sabah that has to deal with it. We may have taken a step back but it does not mean we have lost. We have to prepare to move forward,” he said in a statement posted on Facebook today.

In Saturday’s elections, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah won 38 state seats, the simple majority needed to form the Sabah government.

Rival Warisan took 29 seats and its allies, PKR and Upko, two and one, respectively. This gave Warisan Plus a total of 32 seats.

Three seats went to independent candidates.

GRS comprises Perikatan Nasional (17 seats), Barisan Nasional (14) and Parti Bersatu Sabah.

Umno contested 32 seats and won 14. Bung Moktar won the Lamag seat.

Yesterday, Sabah Bersatu chief Hajiji Noor was sworn in as chief minister.

The decision to give Bersatu the chief ministership had triggered unhappiness among Umno leaders and its grassroots, which in turn have pressured the party leadership.

Many felt the party had given in many times to Bersatu after having surrendered the prime minister’s position and Perak menteri besar post to Bersatu.

Najib Razak loyalist Lokman Noor Adam had also issued an ultimatum to Zahid to teach Bersatu a lesson for ridiculing and bullying the Malay nationalist party on several recent issues.

The faction also warned Zahid that if he did not act against Bersatu, which is led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, then a move would be made to replace the Umno president.

Lokman also called on Zahid to pull Umno out of PN.

Bung Moktar said that because Umno had won fewer seats than Bersatu and its PN allies, it has cost the party the chief minister’s post.

“I have to apologise to (Zahid) because his wishes and ambitions, and those of his friends, who wanted me or a representative from Sabah Umno to become the chief minister were not achieved. 

“The post of chief minister was indeed the hope of Sabah Umno but we realised and understood that by only winning 14 seats, it was difficult for Sabah Umno to claim the post.” – September 30, 2020.