Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak
KOTA KINABALU: Former Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the need to see Sabah’s development and growth was among reasons why he and fellow Umno Sabah leaders chose to leave the party.
The former Sabah Chief Minister pointed out that a strong relationship with the federal government is imperative for that to happen.
Commenting on the mass resignation from Umno Sabah, he explained that most of them joined when the party first came to Sabah in 1994 so that the state would not be isolated from Putrajaya and be left behind while other states moved forward and developed.
The GE14 in May this year, however, has changed the entire landscape of Malaysian politics and the Umno-led Barisan Nasional is no longer the Federal Government and Umno Sabah can no longer sway Putrajaya like it used to, he said.
He stressed that the future of Sabah and its continued growth and development now lie in the hands of the State Government and will depend on the relationship between the State and Putrajaya.
“Taking this new political reality into consideration, my colleagues and I decided to leave Umno so that we can focus on the future of Sabah and ensure Sabah’s growth and development.
“For this to happen, we need to build a strong relationship between the State and Federal Governments. This is the immediate priority as much needs to be done and with the uncertainties in the global economy focus becomes even more important,” Salleh said.