Datuk Armani Mahiruddin
SANDAKAN: Sabah Wanita Umno chief Datuk Armani Mahiruddin led about 200 Libaran Umno leaders and members to quit from Umno and join Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan).
Armani said she decided to leave the party after seeing that Umno no longer had a direction, and she was sure that more Umno members would follow her move in the future.
She said they would be joining Warisan as regular members, and their membership forms would be submitted to Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal soon.
Speaking during a breaking-of-fast event here Wednesday, Armani urged locals here to forget about past political backgrounds and differences, and to focus on supporting Shafie as the new Chief Minister in bringing development and economic stability to Sabah.
Armani became the latest Umno Sabah leader to defect to Warisan, following the crossover by four Umno assemblymen, namely Datuk Abdul Muis Picho (Sebatik), Datuk Hamisa Samat (Tanjung Batu), Datuk Osman Jamal (Balung) and Jamawi Jaafar (Kemabung) within two days after the 14th general election.
Two other assemblymen went along with the decision of the supreme council of their party, United Pasokmmogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) in quitting Barisan Nasional and joining the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan coalition. They are Ewon Benedict (Kadamaian) and Datuk Abidin Madingkir (Paginatan).