Shafie quits Umno

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SEMPORNA: Suspended Umno Vice President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has quit Umno with immediate effect after returning from Mecca and brushed aside rumours that he is going to take over a party.

The 58-year-old Semporna member of parliament said the decision was made following the Umno Supreme Council’s decision to suspend him before making any investigation on allegations that he had disciplinary breaches.

He said the Supreme Council should at least make an investigation before taking any action and give him the opportunity to defend himself.

“I attended the Supreme Council meeting but none of them talked about this issue where I could have given an explanation, instead they made the decision while I was not there,” he said.

“I could have defended myself but they decided to suspend me and then investigate me. I love the party,” he said and questioned why no action was taken against other state leaders, who have been meeting with Sabah Opposition leaders.

Shafie, who was suspended by the Umno Supreme Council while he was in Mecca, announced his decision to leave the party before thousands of supporters during a gathering here yesterday.

“Today, I’ve quit Umno. I want you (rakyat) to continue supporting me until I decide on my platform,’’ he said.

The Umno Supreme Council also sacked party deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir last month.

Following his suspension, Semporna Umno division deputy head Datuk Dr Jaujan Sambakong announced that he was quitting Umno along with Semporna Umno Youth chief and Semporna Wanita Umno chief as well as 300 Umno branch leaders.

Several leaders and members from Kinabatangan and Membakut have also resigned from the party.

Shafie said his resignation from the party would not stop him from continuing to fight and assist the people.

He also denied rumours that he would be joining Usno or establishing a new party. He said he had not thought about the matter as he had no idea that he would be suspended.

He stressed that the claim of him joining Usno was just slander as he stood by the principles and Umno’s struggle while still holding a position in the party.

“There has been a lot of lies told about me including that I was going to take over Usno Baru (a new party formed after Usno dissolved to allow Umno into Sabah).

“These were outright lies spread about me,” he said in his 90-minute speech streamed live via Facebook.

Shafie, who is now disillusioned with the national leadership, hopes that Umno will make its decisions on members transparently without favoritism and take stern action against other members who made mistakes.

Also present at the gathering was United Sabah Alliance (USA) chairman Datuk Mohd Noor Mansor, a former Berjaya minister.

The USA is made up of Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) led by Datuk Wilfred Bumburing, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) led by Datuk Yong Teck Lee and State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah chapter under chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

Shafie, who is the nephew of Sabah Umno’s first chief minister Tun Sakaran Dandai, was the first Umno vice-president from the state and has been Semporna MP since 1995. He held various federal Cabinet positions between 1999 and 2015 before he was dropped as the Minister of Rural and Regional Development in July last year.