TAWAU: Kalabakan Umno division chief Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh yesterday said that it was ridiculous for Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk Teo Chee Kang to refuse to return the Merotai state seat to Umno in the 14th general election.
Ghapur said Teo’s statement did not make sense and absurd because the final decision whether the claim made by Umno Kalabakan for the seat would be successful or not would not be decided by Teo or LDP, but by the Barisan Nasional (BN).
“It is our right to claim for the seat as the majority of people in Merotai are members of Umno. We want their fate to be taken care of as it’s their voice and wish to be represented by Umno,” he said.
“However, we submit the claim to be decided by the BN leadership. LDP party has no right to reject the claim because the party is not the BN leadership,” he said.
Ghapur also reiterated that if the claim made by Umno Kalabakan was not successful, it would not help other BN’s candidates apart from Umno candidate.
Teo who is the Minister of Special Tasks, has ruled out the prospect of his party handing over the Merotai state seat to Umno.
He reiterated that the question of “returning” Merotai to Umno does not arise as it was a new seat created after the re-delineation exercise in 2004.
Merotai is held by Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Pang Yuk Ming.