Sabah Umno election meeting receives commotion reports - Bung Moktar

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah UMNO liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin today confirmed that Sabah UMNO has received reports of several incidents of disruptions at UMNO divisional delegates meetings in the state, last Saturday (March 18).

Bung Moktar, who defended his position as Kinabatangan UMNO division chief after winning unopposed, said the commotions involved, among other things, the voting process management process and members not being eligible to vote in the party's election at the meeting.

Without referring to any UMNO division, he also asked the UMNO divisions involved in any untoward incidents at the meeting to make a report to the central UMNO Elections Committee for further action.

"They (central UMNO Election Committee) will examine every complaint presented and will investigate, if there is a violation of the constitution and the rules of the meeting, it maybe possible that the conference will be held again," he said in a statement today.

Last Saturday, the Lahad Datu UMNO delegates meeting at Dewan Sri Perdana, Lahad Datu was marred by an incident of fighting believed to be due to provocation that resulted in two individuals being injured.

Lahad Datu district police chief ACP Rohan Shah Ahmad is reported to have said that in the incident at 2.45 pm, one of the injured victims was an employee of the Sabah UMNO liaison office while the other was a member of the Lahad Datu UMNO Youth committee.

In the meantime, Bung Moktar also asked UMNO members after this election to give priority to restoring unity in the party, and to forgive each other in an effort to re-empower the party.

He saw the UMNO elections that took place simultaneously across the country last Saturday as 'democracy excitement' when many volunteered to contest even though the party was said to be in the doldrums.

"The excitement proves that UMNO is still relevant even though half of UMNO's opinion in Sabah will be buried due to the actions of some members of the party leaving UMNO and joining other parties," he said.

Meanwhile, Bung Moktar described his election as a member of the UMNO Supreme Council (MT) 2023-2026 as a trust given to representatives especially at the grassroots level.

"This position comes with responsibility and trust to help and lead the party together with the President (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), Deputy President (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) and Supreme Council members," he said.

Bung Moktar, who obtained 160 votes, scored the fifth highest among MT candidates, was among those selected for the position based on the official results shared by UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan via a post on his Twitter page yesterday. - BERNAMA