Sabah coup getting unlikely as CM Hajiji shows support from Pakatan, Umno reps

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 6 — It was all calm today in the state capital following the storm that was yesterday’s speculated attempted takeover of the state government.

There was no news from the dissenting Barisan Nasional (BN) group within the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government purported to have engineered a failed coup yesterday with Parti Warisan.

The group could not garner the necessary numbers required to form a majority that could oust chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Hajiji had last night moved to seal support from seven Pakatan Harapan (PH( state assemblymen, as photos of their dinner gathering at Sabah International Convention Centre were posted on his social media accounts.

“Had the opportunity to spend time with a big part of our colleagues in the state government while discussing efforts and plans to bring Sabah to the next level in 2023.

“God willing, everything will be achieved with the cooperation, stability, unity and collaboration between us,” he captioned.

The PH assemblymen had also made their stance clear in an earlier joint statement saying that they rejected any attempt to form a government via a “back door”.

Hajiji also met with seven Umno assemblymen led by Sabah Umno’s deputy chief and Karambunai assemblyman Datuk Yakub Khan, who is believed to be distancing himself from BN and Umno chief Datuk Bung Moktar Radin’s movement to pull support from Hajiji and back Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as chief minister.

The seven were reported to have gone to see Hajiji last night, after a meeting at the state Umno headquarters ended and photos of their meeting were circulating on social media.

They were Tanjung Batu’s Datuk Andi Muhamad Suryady Bandy, Sungai Sibuga’s Datuk Mohd Hamsan Ag Supain, Sugut’s Datuk James Ratib, Bengkoka’s Datuk Harun Durabi, Sindumin’s Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob and nominated assemblyman Datuk Raimie Unggi.

Together, the composition of GRS’s 29, and the seven each from PH and Umno, they would make up at least 43, more than half of the 79 assemblymen in the state.

Warisan (19) and the remaining Umno (10) representatives would only make up 29.

The other assemblymen, three from Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat and one each from Parti Bangsa Malaysia, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, and one independent have not made their stand known.

Bung and Shafie have both yet to issue any comment on the matter.