11 new faces head Sabah Umno divisions
KOTA KINABALU: Most of the incumbent Umno division chiefs in Sabah retained their respective post in the just concluded party election of new office bearers.
Kota Belud Umno chief Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak; Datuk Seri Anifah Aman (Kimanis); Datuk Hajiji Noor (Tuaran); Datuk Masidi Manjun (Ranau); Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (Kinabatangan); and Datuk Sapawi Ahmad (Sipitang) were returned unopposed.
Other division heads who won uncontested are Papar chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail; Datuk Isnin Aliasnih (Beaufort); Datuk John Ambrose (Penampang); Datuk Abdul Ghani Yassin (Pensiangan); Datuk Wetrom Bahanda (Kota Marudu); Datuk Sairin Karno (Keningau); Datuk Faisyal Diego (Kota Kinabalu); and Datuk Yakub Khan (Sepanggar).
The new faces were Datuk Arsit Sedi (Putatan); Abdul Karim Abdul Wahid (Kalabakan); Datuk Juslie Ajirul (Libaran); and Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan (Tawau) who replaced his late brother, Datuk Tawfiq.
Juslie, Arsit, Abdul Karim and Nizam also won uncontested.
Juslie replaced former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman (Libaran), while Arsit took over from Umno Sabah secretary Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin (Putatan) and Karim replaced Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Kalabakan). All the three incumbents had opted not to defend their respective post.
Former state Umno Youth chief Datuk Awang Kadin Tang (Sandakan); Khairul Firdaus (Batu Sapi); Datuk Ramlee Marhaban (Semporna); and Datuk Raimie Unggi (Tenom) were also among the new faces who won the division chief post.
Other new faces are Samad Jamri (Beluran); Gurahman Lolong (Kudat); and Abdul Hakim Gulam Hassan (Silam). Hakim beat former Kunak assemblyman Datuk Nilwan Kabang.
Ramlee Marhaban replaced Datuk Nasir Sakaran who stepped down as acting Umno Semporna chief, whilst Abdul Hakim replaced Datuk Yusof Apdal who also stepped down as Silam division chief.
The Semporna division was formerly headed by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who was sacked from Umno and decided to head the newly formed Parti Warisan Sabah.
Umno has a total of 25 divisions in Sabah with more than half a million members.