Umno ‘manipulating mercenary’ Sabahans in Selangor

Michael Kaung

Sabahans in Selangor are urged to be wary of Umno's political strategy which could eventually backfire on them.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans living in Selangor may get a taste of their own medicine if they allow themselves to be used to help overthrow the opposition Pakatan Rakyat state government in the next election.
Many are now being recruited by the state Umno machinery with the help of government agencies.

The Umno recruitment drive comes with the danger that it will backfire on Sabahans living in the peninsula, tarring them with the same “mercenary” label that locals in Sabah have painted immigrants here.

While the Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition parties have been silent over claims that Sabahans are being used in Umno politics, the opposition has been quick to take up the cudgels on behalf of the “overseas” Sabahans.

Sabah PKR has accused the National Registration Department (NRD) of becoming a tool of Umno by changing the voting address of Sabahans who have moved and lived in Selangor for some time.

Sabah PKR voter registration bureau chief Taufick Ruschi, who claimed the matter had been brought up to the party’s attention, said he was stunned by the NRD action.

He said that as a government department, the NRD should not work closely with a political party in encouraging people to change their voting addresses.

“I know it is part of Umno strategy to register voters for the coming general election. However, they need to remember, after a while these Sabahans will go back to their hometowns,” Taufick said.

He was commenting on a report in PAS-owned Harakah (on Feb 18-20) that NRD was allegedly cooperating with Umno to change the voting addresses of Sabahans residing and working in Shah Alam.

Taufick, who is also PKR Beaufort deputy chief, accused Umno of taking advantage of stranded Sabahans by encouraging  them to change their voting addresses there.

“I believe this is part of Umno’s preparation to defeat PKR Selangor in the next general election.”

He reminded Sabahans, who are residing and working in Peninsular Malaysia, not to be easily influenced by people from any political party to change their voting addresses “as it is not really a big deal for them to go back to their respective voting area in Sabah during elections.”

Taufick said PKR has been assisting the Election Commission to register youths as voters as there are some 347,422 youths in Sabah who have not registered with the EC.

Sabah PKR, he said, would soon open a registration counter at University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) campus here to encourage university students to register as voters.

“We believe most of the students have yet to register as voters,” Taufick said, adding that the party would also open registration counters throughout the state to ensure those at rural areas can register as voters.