Don’t toy with Umno, LDP warned

LDP leaders deliberately turning a deaf ear to all the assistance given to them by Umno Sabah, says Sabah Puteri Umno.

KOTA KINABALU: Criticising Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman is as good as criticising Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN) as a whole, Puteri Umno Sabah said yesterday.

Sabah Umno Puteri chief Musliati Moslimin said its BN ally, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was behaving like an opposition, making its existence in the ruling coalition unjustifiable.

She said LDP was behaving as if the party no longer subscribed to the BN’s spirit of camaraderie and did not have the sense of belonging in the coalition.

She said no one had a right to openly demand for the resignation of the chief minister.

“They (LDP leaders) seem to have lost direction in their political struggle and also going against the BN’s concept and principle,” she said when commenting on statements made by LDP deputy president Senator Chin Su Phin and women’s wing chief Nancy Lim at the party’s Youth and Wanita joint congress in Sandakan over the weekend.

Musliati said asking Musa to resign showed a lack of respect for Umno and its president Najib Tun Razak who, she claimed, has full trust and confidence in Musa to lead the state.

Internal strife

She said LDP was merely making Musa a scapegoat to cover its own weaknesses.

“We understand that the LDP is going through an internal crisis, hence the leaders should deliberate on strengthening their party instead of finding the fault with other people to cover up their own weakness.

“Furthermore, now is not the time for us (BN) to argue with one another; instead, we should cooperate and strengthen our ties in preparation for the coming general election,” Musliati said in a statement.

She warned LDP not to toy with Umno which had supported it in the last general election to enable BN candidates from LDP to deliver the seats allocated to the party.

“The LDP leaders now seem to deliberately turn a deaf ear to all the assistance given to them by Umno Sabah under the leadership of Musa.

“We ask the LDP leaders not to be too emotional when making statement(s) until they forget about the feelings of other friends who help them so much all this while,” Musliati said, adding that any dissatisfaction and problems should be brought to the BN’s round-table for discussion.