No room for complacency in Sabah Umno
THE kuih cincin and amplang delicacies, kulintangan music and “Anak Kampung” influence were glaring within the confines of the Putra World Trade Centre here this week.
These were products and entertainment that caught the attention of many who attended the 71st Umno General Assembly. However, now that the assembly is over, the delegates, along with leaders, will have their work cut out for them on their return to Sabah.
The legwork to win back the mandate from the people in the 14th General Election should start as soon as each delegate returned to his constituency, Sabah Umno chief Tan Sri Musa Aman said.
He said party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak had laid out guidelines and important takeaways to stave off threats and lies hurled at Barisan Nasional by the opposition in their bid to win the state in the polls.
“We have to make it clear that we are always helping people from all walks of life. Go down to the ground and keep them informed about our policies and our successes,” he said, stressing that there was no room for complacency.
Since arriving here for the assembly, Musa attended a series of luncheons, gatherings and meetings with party leaders and members, each time reminding them of the task ahead without fail.
Sabah Umno boasts a membership of 580,752, including 213,597 Wanita, 92,840 Youth and 66,457 Puteri members.
In the last election, Sabah BN won 22 out of 25 parliamentary seats and 48 out of 60 state seats. Of the number, Sabah Umno won 14 parliamentary seats and 31 state seats.
In his 50-minute speech when
debating the policy speech, Kimanis deputy division chief Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif said loyalty among party members would be vital.
“We should not tolerate traitors,” he said in a reference to party members and leaders who ditched Umno and formed statebased opposition parties.
One such leader is former vicepresident
Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who now heads Parti Warisan Sabah.
“Many of these disgruntled leaders are singing different tunes,” Arifin said, stressing the importance of loyalty and service to the people.
Echoing similar sentiments earlier in his debate on Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s policy speech was Batu Sapi Youth chief Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan, who said the state BN was not daunted by the presence of local opposition parties, such as Parti Warisan.
“The party is led by disgruntled former members and people are wise enough to evaluate their intentions and strategy in fanning sentiments,” he said.
Umno treasurer and deputy state liaison chief Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said Sabah BN under Musa was a strong and cohesive unit that would win back the state with a bigger majority.
“To me, the chief minister, with the cooperation and support he has from everyone in BN, is not only capable of retaining the constituencies that we won, but also wresting back those that we lost,” he said.
Salleh said Najib’s attention to matters of interest to Sabah and Sarawak in his policy speech would also be a plus factor.
However, he stressed that there was a need for Umno to deflect lies by the opposition as well as those who defected from the party.