Tuesday July 31, 2012

Umno issues show-cause letter to Beaufort MP over resignation

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has sent a show-cause letter to Beaufort MP Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin over his resignation from all posts in the party and Barisan Nasional, party secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.

He said Lajim had 14 days to reply to the letter after which Umno would consider action against him as provided for under the party's constitution.

“I have sent a show-cause letter to Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin stating why he could not be expelled from Umno in view of his quitting all posts in Umno and Barisan on July 28,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

Lajim has announced that he was quitting as an Umno supreme council member, Beaufort Umno division chief and Beaufort Barisan chairman with immediate effect. However, he has chosen to remain as an Umno member and Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister.

Tengku Adnan said Umno viewed what Lajim had done seriously, particularly his declaration to set up Pakatan Perubahan Sabah and his close association with the Opposition.

In Kota Kinabalu, MUGUNTAN VANAR reported Upko information chief Donald Mojuntin as saying that Upko is “still a fully functional political party and the recent events have not derailed our resolve to move ahead as a team”.

Mojuntin was referring to Sunday's resignations of deputy president Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and a party vice-president Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap.

“It is sad because they were among the pioneers of the party (when it was formed in 1994),” he said.

He dismissed claims by Bumburing that at least 40% of the party's supreme council had quit and joined the Sabah Reform Movement, which had allied itself with Pakatan Rakyat.

Upko is a Sabah Barisan Nasional component party.

Mojuntin said the party would announce its official stand on the issue after its supreme council meeting early next month.

Bumburing and Lajim had launched separate state reform movements and associated themselves with Pakatan.

Meanwhile, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali welcomed the pair to play a role in Pakatan.

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