KOTA KINABALU: It is still too early to see if the revival of the long de-registered United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) would have any effect on state politics, according to Wanita Umno committee member Datuk Jainab Ahmad.
Jainab, who is also the Sabah Wanita vice-chief, said whether the party would even be accepted by its former members and the people was still unclear.
“I don’t know how this attempt to revive Usno will affect Umno and the overall political landscape in Sabah.
“All I know is that I am a daughter of a (former) Usno member. It is too early to comment but I do hope that it would not disunite the people of Sabah,” she said when commenting on Usno Baru’s campaign to position itself as a major political party in the state.
“Whatever it is, I sincerely believe that political leaders must prioritize on strengthening unity and promoting political stability first, and only then think about pursuing their own political agenda,” added Jainab.
The party, whose registration has recently been endorsed by the Registrar of Societies (RoS), has launched a membership drive across all its 26 divisions in Sabah and Labuan, with its acting president Dulli Tiaseh calling for those who had remained loyal to Usno to join him in resurrecting the spirit of the party.
Jainab stressed that unity and stability should take precedence over political ambition, now more than ever, as they are needed for addressing security issues currently gripping the state’s east coast.
“A good political party is the one whose leaders use their positions to help, not disunite and confuse the people, because right now we are facing a serious problem in the form of security threats and rampant kidnappings in the east coast.
“I believe in Barisan Nasional (BN) because through this party we can highlight any issues affecting the state and its people; we discuss them in a family spirit and we speak of any issues as one, united voice,” she said.
Sabah Umno liaison deputy head Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Salleh Said Keruak reportedly said Umno Sabah was solid and was not worried with the setting up of Usno Baru.
Salleh, whose father was the president of Usno back in 1976, also said the new Usno Baru had nothing to do with the original party.
Dulli, in rejecting the allegation, said the majority of Usno Baru’s lineup comprised former original Usno members and they would continue the struggle of previous Usno leaders, like its founder the late Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun.
Dulli in a telephone interview with The Borneo Post on Tuesday hinted a friendly approach towards the state Umno-led administration, saying Usno (Baru) would always support the government as long as its policies and development plans benefitted the people.
Usno was founded by Tun Mustapha, the third chief minister of Sabah, and came into power after winning the 1967 state election.
It remained in power until 1975 under Tun’s leadership, and until 1976 under Mohammad Said bin Keruak.
Usno’s downfall began in 1975 when its secretary-general, Harris Salleh, quit the party and teamed up with UPKO to form BERJAYA, which took over the state government starting from the 1976 state election until 1985.