Former Sekong rep quits Umno
SANDAKAN: Former Sekong assemblyman cum Umno Batu Sapi division chief, Datuk Samsudin Yahya, has announced yesterday that he is leaving Umno to be an independent politician.
However, he said, he still fully supports and trusts Umno Sabah chairmanDatuk Seri Mohd Hajiji Mohd Noor, and will follow him in whatever path that he may be taking next.
“This means that I am independent and not in any party now. I leave it to Hajiji, what he will do next; I will follow…if he accepts me to join him, which I think he will,” Samsudin said, adding that he is pledging support to Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. He said this during a press conference held at Sandakan Hotel here, yesterday.
Samsudin’s action to leave Umno is followed by 55 Umno branch chiefs and about 500 members.
He said he is making the decision as he has lost trust in the leadership of Umno Batu Sapi, which is now led by the new division chief, Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan.
“I had a chance to be Sekong assemblyman for three terms, which is enough, but I still want to help the people of Batu Sapi. But they (the new Umno Batu Sapi leadership) do not care about the welfare of the people. They do not voice out the people’s problems, and they did not even help the people during the fire incident in Kampung Gas. I do not want to work with people who do not want to help the Rakyat. They have positions in the party now but their positions are just for show. I do not see why I should stay in the party when I am not needed,” he said.
Samsudin said that he has not personally inform Hajiji about his decision to leave the party, but assumed that Hajiji would find out the matter through the news.
When asked on speculation that the dissolution of Umno Sabah will be announced soon, Samsudin said he was not aware of the matter and did not want to comment further.