LAJIM MISSING IN ACTION?

Absence of deputy minister fuels at meeting speculation he is set to quit Umno for another party

KOTA KINABALU Jan 17, 2012: Beaufort Umno Division chief Datuk Seri Panglima Lajim Ukin was a no show at the Sabah Umno liaison meeting at its headquarters in Karamunsing last night.

Instead, the Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister was represented by the division’s deputy chief, Isnin Asliahneh, in the meeting which was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who arrived here around 4.30pm for a two-day working visit to Sabah.

Muhyiddin who arrived at the Sabah Umno headquarters in Karamunsing at 7.20pm, sat down with Sabah Umno leaders, including Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, for about two hours before leaving to chair the closed-door Sabah BN meeting at 10pm.

The meeting was also attended by two Umno vice-presidents, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.

Muhyiddin is scheduled to attend a meet-the-people session and present the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) in Tawau and Semporna today.

He will also be attending a special meeting and present cheque to Sekolah Agama Rakyat and KAFA in Semporna before leaving for Kuala Lumpur the same day.

Lajim’s absence at last night meeting has brought into question whether there was any truth to the recent rumour by sources in the Umno circles claiming that the party’s influential chieftain in Beaufort, south of Sabah, is set to quit Umno for another party.

Lajim’s “fame” dates back to 1994. He is said to have been the one who precipitated the downfall of his former party, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

Rumour has it that the Beaufort member of parliament is on the point of leaving Umno to lead a small Bumiputera party that was at one time briefly helmed by a former chief minister in the Berjaya government that was brought down by PBS in 1985.

It was also reported that Lajim had also met opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Singapore recently.

The rumour has left the opposition parties excited, including his former colleague in PBS, Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee, the Sabah Progressive Party president, who invited Lajim to join them.

Yong was expressed the party’s willingness to work with Lajim in the concept of ABU (Asal Bukan Umno – Anything But Umno) to face Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 13th General Election.

Yong, however, stressed that Lajim must leave the ruling coalition now in order to be well prepared.

“Hopefully, he (Lajim) will no longer needs to play hide and seek. Just come out. Look at SAPP, we were also in the BN once but now we are out for three and a half years,” Yong advised in a statement recently.

Lajim made headlines when he quit PBS in 1994, followed by several other leaders, including Yong.

Their moves forced the then Chief Minister, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is PBS president, to resign just three weeks after being sworn in.

Lajim was later labeled as ‘katak (frog) for his decision to abandon PBS.

Meanwhile, on the meeting, Muhyiddin who arrived at the Sabah Umno headquarters in Karamunsing at 7.20pm, sat down with Sabah Umno leaders for about two hours before leaving to chair the Sabah BN meeting at 10pm.

Muhyiddin is scheduled to attend the meet-the-people session and present the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) in Tawau and Semporna today.

He will also be attending a special meeting and present cheque to Sekolah Agama Rakyat and KAFA in Semporna before leaving for Kuala Lumpur the same day.