PRIME Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been asked to appoint four Sabah Umno leaders to the federal government, Parliament, as well as government-linked corporations.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in a letter to Muhyiddin dated April 16, said the Sabah chapter of the party “proposed and demanded” four positions for its members.
Zahid recommended that Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin be made Sabah Federal Development Department chairman; Kimanis MP Mohamad Alamin, a deputy minister to represent the Sabah Umno chapter; Tuaran division chief Abdul Rahman Dahlan, a senator in Dewan Negara; and Sabah Umno deputy chairman Yakubah Khan, the Labuan Port Authority chairman.
At the time of writing, neither Umno nor Muhyiddin had commented on the letter but copies had been circulating across social media, with online news portals picking it up.
In the letter, Zahid said he was conveying his Sabah colleagues’ wishes after a discussion with the state party leadership. He then asked Muhyiddin to consider their appointments in the spirit of Perikatan Nasional (PN). Umno is the largest party in the coalition in terms of parliamentary seats with 39 seats.
Among the nominees, Bung Mokhtar and Abdul Rahman played key roles under then prime minister Najib Razak’s government.
Bung Moktar is currently facing trial for being accused of accepting RM2.8 mil in bribes while he was Felcra chairman in June 2015.
Abdul Rahman, on the other hand, was Najib’s mouthpiece who denied the former prime minister’s role in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal. He also took Muhyiddin to task when the latter was critical about Najib’s involvement in 1MDB.
Alamin is a first-time MP who defeated Warisan candidate Karim Bujang in the Kimanis by-election in February while the LPA chair has been vacant after the sacking of Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Fong Hin earlier this month. – April 18, 2020
