Umno to issue writ of summons to ‘party hoppers’
KOTA KINABALU: Umno will issue writ of summons to all Sabah elected representatives who quit the party after the 14th General Election (GE14).
Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the issuance of summons was not aimed at preventing them from leaving the party but to serve as a reminder to respect the conditions and contracts which they agreed upon prior to contesting in the election.
“We will issue the writ of summons to those (in Umno) who contested under the BN ticket, regardless of whether they are now independents or have joined other parties.
“This is because they have breached their contract and pledge to the party. They have used funds and assistance, as well as the party symbol,” he said after a gathering with Sabah Umno leaders here yesterday.
Present was Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Bung Moktar Radin, who is also Kinabatangan MP.
Annuar said several elected representatives had expressed their wish to return to Umno, but the party would proceed with the writ of summons and leave it to the court to decide.
“Returning to Umno is a different issue. This (writ of summons) is not about (teaching them a) lesson but more about trust and responsibility. If they breach these, they’ve breached trust.”
He added that the party was in the process of appointing a lawyer and gathering documents prior to issuing the writ of summons to several individuals.
Annuar stressed that the state Umno had full control of matters such as membership, disciplinary cases except for appeal cases, and reporting to Registry of Societies.
“I’m confident that Sabah Umno, which has the most number of members in the country, will rise under the leadership of Datuk Bung. The state Umno has a fresh leader and this is good to restore the party spirit.”
In December last year, five Umno MPs and nine Umno assemblymen left the party to become independents.
Prior to that, several Umno assemblymen who contested under BN tickets left the party to join Parti Warisan Sabah or become independent representatives.