KOTA KINABALU, Nov 14 — Sabah Umno hit back at Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor for broken promises after yesterday’s swipe at Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah’s first annual congress.

Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir reminded Hajiji that the party had pulled its backing from the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition after numerous lies and broken promises.

"We can elaborate on them one by one if he wants. ‘Muhyiddin’s scheme of things’ has been something he has been following although he has professed support for the unity government,” said Suhaimi.

The Libaran MP said that Sabah Umno’s patience reached its peak when Hajiji took his support to Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister after GE15 without consultating Umno.

"Hajiji does not need to pretend to try to forget this piece of history. Umno would not have pulled its support for him if he had been sincere and honest in this friendship,” he said in a statement here.

Yesterday, during his policy speech, Hajiji said that the party and the government of the day had emerged stronger after the attempted political coup in January, which he described as a black mark on Sabah’s political history.

Hajiji said any attempt to overthrow a government was not an act of democracy.

"It is an act of desperation that is embarrassing and unethical,” he said while thanking Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno members who had gone against the party’s stand and thrown their support behind him, allowing GRS to continue governing Sabah.

In January, Sabah Umno, Parti Warisan and Parti KDM had attempted to unseat Hajiji’s GRS government but the effort backfired when several Umno and PH assemblymen gave him their support for the majority in the 79-seat state assembly.

As a result of the falling out, Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and several other party leaders lost their state Cabinet posts.

Recalling the ensuing chain of events, Suhaimi said the public does not forget leaders who jump from party to party as easily as changing clothes.

"They started from Umno. When Umno lost, they joined Bersatu. When Bersatu lost, they formed a new party, Gagasan Rakyat. This political story is embarrassing for Sabahans,” he said.