KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya will leave it to Umno disciplinary board to decide on the next course of action after he broke ranks with his party to back Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor during the bid by Sabah Barisan-Umno on Jan 6 to topple the state government.
The Putatan MP said he has explained his reasons to the board.
“Yes, I am one of the Sabah Umno assemblymen who was called up by the Umno disciplinary board.
“We leave it to the board to decide. They will make an official decision, I can’t say anything before they decide, we wait,” he told reporters after a unity carnival in Putatan near here yesterday.
Shahelmey was among four Sabah Umno assemblymen who were issued with show cause letters demanding them to explain their reasons for not following the decision by Sabah Barisan-Umno to withdraw its support for the GRS government led by Hajiji.
Besides Shahelmey, the others were Community Development and People Well-being Minister Datuk James Ratib (Sugut), Datuk Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit) and Datuk Hamid Awang (Balung).
However, James, Jasnih and Hamid quit Umno earlier this week along with a fourth assemblyman, Datuk Arshad Bistari (Tempasuk), to join Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) led by Hajiji.
Shahelmey remained in Umno as he might be subjected to the anti-hopping law that would see his Putatan parliamentary seat vacated.
On the move by the four other assemblymen to join Gagasan Rakyat, Shahelmey believed that their action was made based on their realisation that political stability is needed in the state.
On Jan 6, Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin pulled out Sabah Barisan’s support for Hajiji, stating that his position as chief minister was against the Sabah constitution because he was no longer the leader of a political party.
Hajiji quit Sabah Bersatu on Dec 8.
The GRS government was on the brink of collapse but Hajiji gained the support of seven Sabah Pakatan assemblymen and four Barisan-Umno dissidents and a Barisan-friendly assemblyman to command a 44-seat majority in the 79-seat state assembly.
Following the crisis, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asked Hajiji to form a unity government at the state level.