The Malaysian Insight

PENANG Umno today said the party must take action if there really are “brokers” telling its elected representatives to jump ship.

The party’s Penang chairman, Musa Sheikh Fadzir, said such individuals were sabotaging Umno.

“We don’t know who the brokers telling our elected representatives to quit Umno are.

“If it is true there are such brokers, then Umno must act against them, no matter who they are,” he told a press conference in Sungai Dua, Butterworth today.

Yesterday, Penang Umno lost one of its two parliamentarians when Tasek Gelugor MP Shabudin Yahaya quit the party and became an independent.

It leaves Umno with only Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican, formerly the foreign affairs deputy minister, in Penang.

Five other Umno MPs also quit yesterday. They are Hulu Terengganu’s Rosol Wahid, Tanah Merah’s Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz, Mersing MP Abdul Latiff Ahmad, Larut MP Hamzah Zainudin, and Sabak Bernam MP Mohamad Fasiah Mohd Fakeh.

BN won 54 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election, but the resignations have brought the number down to 37.

There has been talk that some people within Umno have been telling representatives to jump ship.

When half of Sabah Umno walked out earlier this week, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin remarked on Twitter that a “nobleman” (bangsawan) was encouraging central Sabah Umno leaders to quit the party.

Meanwhile, Musa said Penang Umno was disappointed with Shabudin’s decision to quit the party after winning Tasek Gelugor for a second term under the Barisan Nasional ticket.

He said Shabudin should quit as MP too and allow a by-election.

“Where is his integrity, and what happened to his promise to represent and help the people? He has disappointed Umno and its grassroots here.

“He contested as an Umno representative, using Umno’s machinery to win with votes from Umno supporters. He did not win as the man, Shabudin Yahaya.

“He has betrayed Tasek Gelugor voters who chose Umno. If he can resign from Umno, he should also quit as MP,” he said.

In GE14, Shabudin retained Tasek Gelugor by a majority of only 81 votes, which was 0.001% of the total 51,904 votes cast.

However, support for Umno remains better in Tasek Gelugor than in other seats in Pakatan Harapan stronghold Penang.

Umno won the Sungai Dua and Permatang Berangan state seats in Tasek Gelugor and lost elsewhere.

Musa said Umno had no problem with its Tasek Gelugor division, and that it was still united.

He said there would be no mass resignations from Umno in the state.

“It is just Shabudin so far. He left by himself. Our other division leaders are still with us. No Umno branches are closing.

“I don’t know if there will be resignations in future but if there are, the number will be small. The Malays are still with Umno.”

Musa said Penang Umno had vetted through its members before the May 9 polls to find those who supported PH.

Such members were also few then, he said.

Musa said division leaders were actively speaking to party grassroots, which was how they knew the party was still strong in Penang.

“Our grassroots are loyalists. They will stand by the party during tough times like now, when we are the opposition and have our accounts frozen.

“They are not like those who held positions in the past and have left the party now we are no longer in power.” – December 15, 2018.