KOTA KINABALU: The action surrounding the suspension of Putatan Member of Parliament Datuk Shahelmey Yahya from Umno is being handled internally, according to Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid was responding to Shahelmey who claimed he had yet to receive an official letter from Umno on his six-year suspension from the party.
“Even though his (Shahelmey) membership automatically expires, in the spirit of the Unity Government we take action internally,” said Ahmad Zahid.
“At the national level he (Shahelmey) is still a Member of Parliament of the Unity Government, while at the state level he is a member of the State Assembly who also represents the Unity Government,” Ahmad Zahid added.
Asked if Shahelmey’s suspension requires any black and white documentation, Ahmad Zahid reaffirmed that action is taken internally.
Shahelmey, who is also the Tanjung Keramat assemblyman, had said he was informed of the suspension by Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on May 14.
For the record, Umno suspended Shahelmey for six years for not following the party line during the attempted coup by Bung’s faction to oust Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor earlier this year.
— Sherell Jeffrey