He said although the situation appeared “calm” in the state, the fact remains that the state government was initially formed by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

This, he said, raised questions over Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor’s reshuffled Cabinet.

“Although it is calm in Sabah now, there are still some undercurrents,” said Bung when asked if the formation of the new Sabah Cabinet had resolved the state’s political crisis.

“The issue is that the state government that was formed at first (after the 2020 Sabah state election) was made up of (BN) and PN.

“It’s alright. People play politics, we’ll play politics too.”

Bung had tried and failed to oust Hajiji, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman, by announcing that Sabah Umno was withdrawing its support for the chief minister last Friday.

However, Hajiji then said he had secured majority support from assemblymen, including five assemblymen from Umno and seven from Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Hajiji has since dropped Bung from his state Cabinet in a reshuffle. Following the Sabah state elections in September 2020, Bung was named one of three deputy chief ministers and also the state works minister.

In the new Cabinet, which was sworn in on Wednesday, Shahelmey Yahya, the BN assemblyman for Tanjung Keramat, took over the deputy chief minister post and was also named state works minister.

Explaining Sabah Umno’s decision to withdraw support for Hajiji’s administration, Bung said the party only wanted to “correct” the political direction of the state to ensure that the state government prioritised Sabah’s development and the welfare of the people.

“We wish to ensure that the people of Sabah are rightfully represented by the government,” he told reporters on the sidelines of Umno’s general assembly here.

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